Employee loyalty can add to farm’s bottom line

We all want employee loyalty. It is essential for the success of the farm operation as it is for any business.

We have to be able to trust that employees will do what is best for the business. That’s what we all want, but how do you get it?

To be sure, there is more than one way, or more than one answer to that question. I’d like to share with you one way that a farm in western New York builds employee loyalty and uses that to increase the success of the operation.

Recently, Stan Moore and I visited Table Rock Farm in Castile, N.Y., and spoke with Meghan Hauser, a partner in the operation, and Richard Sanford, a long-time employee. Table Rock builds employee loyalty by having employees take part in the decision-making and by providing access to the information necessary in order to make good decisions.

At Table Rock Farm, Inc. they milk 1,000 cows, farm around 1,600 acres with 28 full and part-time employees. Therefore building employee loyalty and maximizing the value of employees is critical. In fact, Meghan says their employees are the greatest asset the farm has.

They nurture employee involvement on the farm by giving employees the responsibility to research new equipment purchases and other management choices. From washing machines to forage choppers, Meghan and her father, Willard De Golyer, ask the employees who will be using the equipment to talk with the salespersons and gather the information on various options.