Volume 49: Issue 24 June 2022
BOTTOM LINE Sharing ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers succeed.
People perspective
LET’S FEED THE WORLD
Page 3 Cool, late spring mitigated in fields with cover crops
Page 4 Dairy-checkoff partnerships tell Culver’s “Curd to Counter”
Page 5 Job seekers, employers: use PDPW talentCONNECT
Simultaneously translated into Spanish!
Tue., June 28
Newton, Wisconsin
Thu., June 30
Baltic, South Dakota
Two more PDPW Hoof Management Workshops scheduled
Page 8
H
eadline after headline heralds the “great resignation” – a mass exodus across the land of employable people leaving their jobs – as if they’re disappearing somehow. How do businesses recruit and retain staff when so many variables are shifting? I t ’s t r u e ; there has been a shift in mentality recently, whether due to COVID or not, and now it’s Michael time for Hoffman reevaluation. People have been given the opportunity to look at themselves – their lives and their futures – to ask the fundamental questions, “Is this where I need to be?” and “What are my options?” or “Why should I stay?” Farms have not been exempt from the influence of the “great resignation.” From coast to coast many farm teams are asking those same questions, which is playing a major role in the people issues of businesses. But that’s not the problem. It’s how the problem is being handled; that’s the problem. So what’s the secret sauce to being successful in challenging times? I’ve had the joy of working with a diverse group of
Having fun at work can be the difference-maker in retaining team members. Considering many employees spend more time each week with their work team than with their own families, managers should aim to make the workplace a fun and rewarding place to work.
clientele throughout the years. And I’m constantly reminded that the one common thread is that people are each other’s greatest resource. The great shift in farms doesn’t hinge on keeping up with technology and market trend, but in keeping, equipping and energizing people. The answer is simple; you’re the secret sauce. You have the power to create something special. I’ll share an example. In preparation for working with Chick-fil-A’s leadership I toured some of their worldclass vendors. I’m talking about the farms and production centers that are tasked with supplying the exceptional-standard Chick-fil-A with all the chicken they sell worldwide. One business stood out from the rest. I had already
spent most of the week touring several other company vendors. They all processed chicken from egg-to-plate and frankly they all started to look the same. Seriously, how many different ways can a chicken be raised and processed for delivery? But one business stood out. Located in East Texas, the vendor was different than any of the others I had visited. It felt different; it was brighter and had more energy. It almost seemed – dare I say it – like a fun place to work. There were countless people at assembly lines doing the most mundane of tasks. At one station I saw a man lifting each chicken off a moving conveyer belt to place it on a cone, where it then advanced to the next station. Please see HOFFMAN, Page 2
Professional Dairy Producers™ I 1-800-947-7379 I www.pdpw.org