MANAGEMENT

Few farming operations invite as many different opportunities for injury or fatality as a silage program. Silage-related tragedies know no age boundary, as workers and bystanders of all ages have been injured or killed during silage harvest and feedout.

Although silage injury statistics are not easily tabulated, increasingly stories involve bunker silos and drive-over piles.

Dairy employees can be exposed to safety and health hazards while working at the dairy. Owners and managers are responsible for providing a safe workplace and proper training to reduce labour injuries at work.

It is also critical for owners and managers to ensure that proper protocols are established and followed at all times to promote safety and reduce accidents.

Canada’s two largest breed organizations have tallied the number of animal registrations received in 2013 – and both are proud to announce it was another record-breaking year.

Holstein Canada announced it had 285,449 registrations completed in 2013. This number is up 4,829 registrations, representing a 1.7 percent increase over 2012.

When I begin a new executive coaching engagement, my due-diligence process usually involves conducting focused interviews with a representative sample of my client’s peers, direct and indirect reports, other close associates and, of course, their reporting senior.

One of the questions I ask is, “Does this person enjoy the benefit of the doubt with you?” The implications associated with the answers to this question are material. If a significant portion of the people within my client’s sphere of influence are unable or unwilling to give them credit for trying and adopting new behaviour, our task becomes more difficult.

When dairy farmers are asked how they recruit new employees, the response is usually the same: “We don’t need to recruit.” Owners report that the current economic situation has meant no shortage of people looking for work.

In fact, many owners have a stack of applications, most of which will never receive a call back. This is not because there aren’t qualified applicants, and not because the owners don’t care, but simply because there aren’t enough jobs nor time to deal with each.

I’ve always liked politics – but I’m not so sure anymore. Every time I turn on the U.S. news, it appears that my country’s political differences run deeper and deeper every year. I know, times aren’t really all that different from the past.

But from where I sit, it seems like our country is divided over almost every issue.