Quality. Pride. Family. These are the values that Larson Acres in Evansville, Wis., has held in the decades since the farm’s current location was purchased in 1957. They are still values that fit the business today even after two rounds of expansion and adjusting to the changes that come with that growth.

Those three words are more than just a talking point or sign in the farm office — they are proudly emblazoned on farm materials and lived out each day as short mantras for owners, managers, and employees to consider as they work. During a presentation at World Dairy Expo, the dairy’s general manager, Sandy Larson, discussed how they cultivate this culture on their farm to the point of achieving a miniscule 2% turnover rate. Larson Acres was also recognized as Expo’s 2024 Dairy Producer of the Year.

The dairy’s team currently includes about 75 employees, including eight family members, to care for 2,800 cows and farm 5,500 acres. Their first expansion and facility upgrade occurred in 1998 when Larson, her brother, and two cousins returned to the farm and the herd grew to 600 cows, and then 1,200. At this time, the family put in their first milking parlor, a double-22 parallel, and two freestall barns. That’s also when they hired their first nonfamily employees, a process that Larson said went smoothly.

Then, in 2010, they doubled again, added a double-20 parlor, and put up a cross-ventilated barn. “This was our first introduction to more employees,” Larson said. This took them to a new level of personnel management and was their first experience with higher turnover.

What adjustments led to the employee success they have now? It all goes back to emphasizing quality cows and products, fostering pride in their work, and treating everyone like family.

Rising to the occasion

Team success and morale begin to be developed when an employee steps on the farm for their first day of work. An effective onboarding process helps them get off on the right foot both professionally and personally.

Larson shared that every new employee goes through a training checklist, which includes watching videos that illustrate their assigned tasks. No matter where they will be working on the farm, all new team members will receive some level of animal care education. The farm’s middle managers who directly supervise these employees complete check-in forms at the one-week, 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day employment marks.

In addition to those training efforts focused on their responsibilities, Larson explained that all new employees are given a tour of the entire farm. “They get to see where other people work, and this helps them feel like part of the team,” she discussed. While it sounds like a simple change to make, Larson noted how eye-opening they saw a farm tour to be for some of their milkers who had no reason to explore much of the farm outside of the parlor. “They knew Pen 21 was coming in, but they didn’t know where that was,” Larson described.

Clear and consistent communication remains important as employees progress past their onboarding days. In each lounge, herd metrics that Larson calls “mini key performance indicators (KPIs)” are regularly posted so the team can stay up to date with statistics like current herd size, milk production level, somatic cell count (SCC), number of calves, and others. More detailed KPIs, like disease incidences or reproduction rates, are shared with middle-level managers.

Those middle managers all meet together every other month, but these meetings are not meant to harp on problems or failures, Larson said. Those issues should be addressed when they come up. Instead, the manager meetings are an opportunity for these leaders to collaborate with each other, help with concerns, or learn something new.

The farm takes a similar approach to the other team meetings that occur every other month with a consultant. They are structured by department; for example, milkers meet every other month, and in between, other groups will come together. Again, instead of bringing up problems, these meetings are often focused on professional development, such as touring the in vitro fertilization lab on the farm. “It’s not about hitting them with the negative. Maybe it’s learning something,” Larson explained. Offering that education also helps them promote from within, which Larson said is a priority to further develop their people. “It’s great to see them grow. You don’t know they have those skills until you give them a chance.”

The operating team meets weekly, and management meetings are every other week. The farm’s corporation comes together annually, while they have financial meetings quarterly with those consultants as well as the next generation of the farm. “It takes a long time to learn those ratios, so having them hear that earlier makes a difference,” she said.

The farm uses a succinct message of culture to reach their values in all of this work. It is the acronym RISE:

• Respect: Everyone is expected to treat other team members with respect. “We started this when we brought in nonfamily employees,” Larson explained.
  
  
• Innovate: “We’re always willing to try something that’s going to make our farm better,” she continued. They have been involved with a number of research studies through the years and are not afraid of adopting new technologies or methods.
  
  
• Stewardship: Every dairy farmer practices stewardship whether they put that name on it or not. Larson said the opportunity comes in getting employees to think that way, too.
  
  
• Engage: Larson explained that they place a priority on open-minded communication to help keep everyone actively involved with the farm’s operation.

Prioritizing retention

In addition to instilling a culture that people are proud to work for, the Larson Acres team makes intentional efforts to retain their people. With her role focused on the employee, public relations, and business sides of the farm, much of this work is taken on by Larson and the on-staff human resources director.

Planned events like their Christmas party are a great way to bring the team together and show gratitude to employees’ families, she said. They used to have their annual appreciation party at an off-farm location, but Larson said their team actually prefers to have it on the farm so their families can see where they work. At these events, the farm provides gifts such as meat, local vacations, useful gadgets, and more. Around Christmas, employees can also nominate a charitable cause they feel strongly about, and the farm will make a donation to the group.

Throughout the year, the team will gather for monthly lunches; have small, fun contests; and has participated in soccer events the farm sponsors. Around the office and lounges, Larson will post lists of that month’s birthdays and work anniversaries. On an employee’s work anniversary, they will receive a handwritten thank you note from her, a special gift, and a bonus.

To help break down the language barrier that exists with many of their team members, Larson noted that they have a dedicated parlor manager who is bilingual in Spanish and will often have consultants present during team meetings to help translate what’s being discussed. Employees can also make their voice heard by submitting what the farm refers to as HERO audits. These address concerns about health or safety, environmental, or other risk issues around the farm and an employee’s observations about the situation.

Perhaps the most important effort that has helped retention has been providing housing. Around 2019, Larson explained that they were often dealing with employees not showing up for shifts. “One of the things we needed to do was get housing,” she said.

They were able to purchase a nearby farmette, so they now own two farmhouses and two mobile homes in addition to renting four other units. In all, Larson said they have about 30 employees in housing. The mobile homes are usually for families, while roommates share the houses. The farm provides basic furniture in each space as well as a keypad entrance on the front door and each bedroom. Larson said that is an easy way to provide security if someone moves out; the code is changed.

Location makes a big difference, as Larson said staying closer to the farm made the housing and their jobs more attractive. Having some of their team right near the farm also helps ensure someone can get to the cows in case of bad weather. She advised keeping housing within 15 minutes of the farm.

Show more than you tell

It is never a simple task to bring together a group of people and ask them to work together cohesively toward a common goal. There are individual personalities, needs, and challenges to work through even before they begin interacting with others. Creating buy-in in that scenario is a hallmark of an effective leader and business owner.

When asked how they get employees to buy into their values and culture, Larson said it’s not so much about teaching the words but being an example of them. Though the three value words and RISE message are visible around the farm, they aren’t explicitly talked about that much. Instead, the team showcases them indirectly through the little efforts they make every day. They believe that’s how a prize-worthy culture is created.