Farmers are faced with a long list of challenges, but labor easily rises to the top of being the one constant pain point that all farmers struggle with. Three farmers share what they have done to keep their good employees, including how they hired some unique employees that have become a good fit for their operations.
Arizona
Like many farmers, Casey Dugan of Desperado Dairy and Du Brook Dairy admits they had a difficult time retaining dependable workers at their Casa Grande, Arizona dairies. That changed in 2018, when the dairy teamed up with the Florence West Prison to help fill the vacant positions.
In 2018, Dugan signed up for a rural leadership program, called Project Centrl, where the group toured rural industries, including a prison. The head warden spoke to the group about the Arizona Correctional Institute (ACI) work program. Dugan worked with the warden, getting ACI to come out to tour the entire Dugan dairy operation.
“They were super excited because a dairy farm is very structured and requires year-round work,” Dugan shares.
Desperado Dairy and Du Brook both incorporated inmates into their workforce soon after, and Dugan shares that at one point they had as many as 30 inmates working for them, but COVID shut that program down.
“This was a very scary time for us,” Dugan says. “We instantly had to make some changes.”
Today, Dugan has a dozen inmates working for the dairies. He says the biggest lesson he has learned by working with the inmate program is that everyone needs a second chance, give them time to learn and properly train them.
“Most people question hiring inmates,” he says. “But these guys in the work program are model inmates, meaning they went to prison because they got two DUI’s or something like that. And they really just want to work.”
Tennessee
The 2019 Top Producer of the Year Winner, Jimmy Tosh from Henry, Tenn., is a trailblazer in many ways. His farm grew from 300 acres and 1,000 feeder pigs to more than 18,000 acres of corn, soybeans, canola and wheat, and 38,000 sows that produce 850,000 market hogs annually. He says he is a crop farmer that got into hogs.
“I went in with the intention of building three buildings and now we have built 300,” he says.
While the growth this northwest Tennessee farm has seen is indeed admiral, Tosh is quick to say it takes an army to get all the work done. Today, the team at Tosh Farms includes nearly 500-plus full-time employees. Tosh and his wife, Alonna, have two sons, Jamey and Jonathan, who are involved in the business.
Tosh teamed up with Hope Center Ministries with their long-term rehabilitation center that gives women a chance to start over through counseling, vocational training and love.
“It’s been really about the most excellent thing I’ve done both from a business standpoint and a personal standpoint,” he says.
Currently Tosh employs 20 women from Hope Center Ministries, with a dozen who has gone through the rehabilitation program and have come to work for him full-time.
“Labor is challenging, and this program has filled a need there, but that’s minor compared to the satisfaction of helping turn lives around,” Tosh says. “A life is worth saving. Anything you can do to help save a life is very fulfilling. Being able to get workers on the farm is a big benefit, but it’s a side benefit.”
Wisconsin
For the last decade, Juan Quezada has served as the director of employee safety at Milk Source in Kaukauna, Wis. He shares that Milk Source’s onboarding process sets employees up for success by outlining what’s expected of employees and the employer.
“We got dreams, they got dreams, we all have goals,” he says. “We have a lot of different programs.”
For example, the company offers English classes for Spanish-speaking employees and a Spanish class for employees wishing to learn that language.
With more than 700 employees, establishing a positive work environment is a key part of the success of Milk Source’s retention program.
“The employee knows if you really care about them, or if you really only care to follow OSHA rules,” he says. “For us, we care about employees, and they know.”
According to Quezada, Milk Source’s structural system starts with establishing trust in the leader.
“Whether that be a manager or supervisor,” he says. “It’s key that the owner does not overstep. This is very important for us because I hear sometimes it can cause more damage if the owner steps in like you don’t trust the manager.”
Milk Source carves out time every single day to gather employees, even if it is just for a few minutes, to quickly talk about leadership, perspective and animal care.
“It is very rewarding,” Quezada shares. “The small details make the difference.”
He also shares starting the day with a greeting, like ‘good morning’ can make all the difference in the world.
“You don’t have to give them something big,” he says. “Sometimes very small things make all the difference.”
Indeed, sometimes the small things are all it takes to help retain employees. And, sometimes we must look outside the box and look at what other resources are available to hire employees, that spells a win-win for both your dairy and your community.
