In labor-intensive environments like farms and other agricultural operations, conflict between employees can happen. Conflict is friction—disagreement between two or more people. Our brains often perceive conflict as a threat, which makes it uncomfortable and leads many people to avoid it.

En lugares de trabajo con mano de obra intensiva, como granjas y otras operaciones agrícolas, pueden producirse conflictos entre los empleados. El conflicto es la fricción, el desacuerdo entre dos o más personas.

Creating career paths, or “career pathing” is the process of aligning opportunities for employee career growth with organizational talent priorities.

A system is a series of interconnected parts that drive an organization forward.  A “systems approach” to human resources management on your farm considers the interconnectedness of all the efforts you’ve made to make your farm a great place to work.  It includes every aspect of the employee life-cycle, from the first time a prospective […]

In this recorded Badger Dairy Insight webinar, UW-Madison Division of Extension Farm Management Outreach Specialist Jim Versweyveld discusses onboarding and training for dairy employees and discusses how interactive learning experiences can help build confidence by allowing dairy workers to actively participate in their own training.

Labor shortages are widespread, workers are expecting higher starting wages, and after farms hire and train a new employee, there is a risk that they will jump ship for a better-paying job. Improve the retention odds on your farm by putting a plan in place to improve the employee onboarding experience.  

Organizational (org) charts are a visual depiction of your farm’s staffing structure. They define roles and clearly illustrate “who reports to whom,” with connecting lines showing accountability and reporting relationships. An org chart for your farm can help keep things running smoothly and efficiently by providing several benefits.

Used extensively as a source of nitrogen fertilizer due to its relative ease of application and wide availability, the obvious downside of anhydrous ammonia use is the serious hazard it presents to workers during transfer and application. The word “anhydrous” comes from the Greek, meaning “without water.” Because of the chemical’s strong affinity for water, […]

The top strategies include conducting regular educational meetings, promoting open employer-employee communication and acting in ways that create a workplace culture where safety is accepted, valued and viewed as key to business success.

Farms are busy workplaces with the potential for injury lurking around every bend. A proactive tool to guard against future mishap, and an important part of improving your overall farm safety culture, is “near miss” reporting.

A discussion with each employee while reviewing their total compensation statement can increase engagement and retention, as well as improve the quality of your new hires.

The reduction in stress is a significant benefit of being a “good boss.” Then there’s the fact that well-trained employees take better care of cows and equipment.