Dairy farming is not a 40-hour per week job. With labor laws becoming more restrictive, though, employers may have to treat it as such

When the Farm Workforce Modernization Act was introduced in the House of Representatives in fall 2019, sponsors reported that the last time significant labor legislation had been passed in the House was...

Training farm personnel not only improves animal welfare and improves farm profitability, but it also enhances the work environment by making people feel like part of a cohesive team

“Personnel training must be the first step in dairy operations,” was the message Adrian Barragan shared with dairy producers and consultants in a Penn State Extension webinar

Providing dairy workers with formal safety training is not typically an easy task. Workers are on tight schedules, training resources are scarce, and language barriers exist

Farm managers and employees’ roles can be aligned with those of coaches and players for a sports team

The blank spot on many dairy calendars this year — the one where World Dairy Expo is usually marked — offers yet another reminder that 2020 is very different

“People notoriously don’t listen to each other,” said Lisa Holden, associate professor of dairy science with Penn State Extension, during the webinar “Dairy Workforce Focus: Communication...

Recruiting, training, and retaining employees are a few of the most constant challenges a dairy may have

Stressful seasons on the farm can and do cause conflict, drama, and finger-pointing amongst employees and owners

After years of tight labor markets and difficulties in recruiting and retaining good employees, we now find ourselves with double-digit unemployment in just about every corner of the U.S

In times of stress and uncertainty, it’s easy to succumb to the frenzy and focus heavily on what’s outside our control

Farmers, farm employees, and most veterinarians across the country have been deemed essential personnel because of their agricultural services, but that does not make them immune from the threat of COVID-19

I will be 30 years old in just a few months. Throughout the years, I have seen high school workers on our farm come and go

In dairy’s labor availability crisis, many farms have focused on doing a great job of training whether they are hiring someone with limited or extensive experience

Contrary to the excuses we often fall into as employers, pay is not the first thing many employees cite when leaving a job

The author has been involved in large-scale commercial dairying in Wisconsin for more than 20 years and is now an account manager for Chr. Hansen Inc.It’s a basic human tendency to avoid confrontati

The U.S. House of Representatives has begun consideration of HR 5038, “The Farm Workforce Modernization Act.” It is a bill that fully addresses both immigration reform priorities for the dairy...

Wages are up. That’s been a common refrain over the last several years. Anecdotal evidence is all around us, and the data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and USDA allows us to see the magnitude...

Trade, immigration, and dairy product sales garnered the lion’s share of the discussion at this year’s annual gathering of the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board, the National Milk...