Working together on a farm
Dairy farms are typically family ventures were parents, children, siblings and others (including employed staff) need to work together in a coherent and cohesive manner. This can include the day to day running of the farm (daily tasks) to the longer-term strategic future of the farm which includes topics such as setting values, investments and significant changes to the business. How do you ensure the family and staff work together on a farm. Ensure that there is an agreement on the overall goals and objectives to the farm. This should align as much as possible with the personal goals of the family members. It is often helpful to have a third party to facilitate these discussions. There are a number of consultants who specializes in this area. Good succession planning is also important in avoiding friction between family members. Regular meetings of family and / or staff are vital. This should be done on a weekly basis - ideally at the start of the week. Current performance of the dairy herd and any pressing issues can be discussed. Tasks for the week ahead should be agreed and person(s) identified to complete the tasks. Ideally this should be written up on a whiteboard for future reference. Standard operating procedures should be agreed so all tasks are undertaken in a consistent manner and not duplicated. For example, agree a procedure for dealing with newborn calves (e.g. feeding colostrum, spraying the naval and applying an ear tag).
Resilience for Dairy
Completed | 2021-2024
- Main funding source
- Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Spain, Slovenia, Netherlands, Northern Ireland