AG LINK - May/June 2008

Farm City Dinner Recap

Over 300 people attended the 76th annual Farm City Dinner to celebrate Marathon County Agriculture. Century Farms and the Outstanding Young Farmer awards were presented. The Farm Progress Days Scholarships were awarded to Melissa Ploeckelman of Stensonville and Travis De Wolfe of Mosinee.

Outstanding Young Farmer | Century Farms

Grain Market Trends for 2008
A seminar looking at the forces shaping them and strategies to manage their influences.

With the extreme volatility of agricultural commodity markets, both buyers and sellers are and will continue to face some tough decisions on establishing contracts for the upcoming year’s crop. Although it is still too early to forecast what the markets may bring as the crops come off the field, it is possible to look at the various trends that may shape those markets. UW-Extension Agricultural Marketing Specialist Brenda Boetel will cover those market shaping trends and lead a discussion on potential risk management strategies people on both sides of the grain market may want to consider. Breakfast is included in the cost.

When: Tuesday, June 10
Time: 7:30 am to 9 am
Where: Northcentral Technical College cafeteria
Speaker: Dr. Brenda Boetel UW-Extension Agricultural Commodity Marketing Specialist UW-River Falls
Cost: $20 pre-registration or $25 at the door

The seminar is hosted by the Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce Partnership for Progressive Agriculture Economic Development/Advocacy committee and Northcentral Technical College in cooperation with UW-Extension.

To register for this event call Northcentral Technical College at (715) 675-3331 ext 4940. The seminar registration number is 11107. If you have questions feel free to contact Melissa Klein at Northcentral Technical College klein@ntc.edu or by phone (715) 803-1671.

Employee Survey Conducted on Large Dairies

Last summer, UW-Extension collaborated with the Program on Agricultural Technology Studies at UW-Madison to conduct a survey of dairy employees and employers in Fond du Lac and Sheboygan counties. The information gathered provides insight to the issues and opportunities that exist within Wisconsin’s dairy workforce.

Dairies were randomly selected from a list of farms with 200 or more cows. Such farms currently produce more than 41% of all milk produced in Wisconsin. All workers (309) from the selected dairies were interviewed, as well as one of the owners or managers (34).

The main objective of the survey was to document key characteristics of dairy employment and the experiences of workers in the industry. The study was structured around questions relating to work and family life, interaction in the community, language skills, and career advancement. Another objective was to compare the perceptions of employers and employees with respect to various aspects of the workplace. The following are some of the findings.

Workplace training: Sixty-five percent of employees reported receiving training when they started their current job, and 96 percent who received training felt it was adequate to perform the job. Furthermore, nearly 80 percent of the workforce expressed interest in learning advanced skills, such as animal health care or machinery operation. This strong interest in learning advanced skills puts a premium on the bilingual language abilities of dairy employees and management.

Language skills: Although only one-quarter of employers cited communication as a problem on the farm, many were quick to note that more advanced job skills require fluency or near-fluency in English. The survey found only 22 percent of employees would classify their English as good or fluent. In order to capitalize on this interest to learn advanced skills, language deficiencies need to be addressed. Ninety percent of the employees who had not taken any language classes, expressed interest in improving their second language. This study highlights the importance of creating more effective language training so that employers can take advantage of employee interest in learning advanced skills.

The survey yielded a wealth of data and statistics about dairy employment on larger farms. A complete report is available online or from Marathon County UW-Extension upon request. According to Mike Wildeck, Extension Dairy Agent, results from a similar report will be available in the coming months from dairies located in the Marathon, Shawano, and Clark County region.

Conflict in the Farm Business Can be Positive

Discussions about the future of a farm are not always easy, especially when there are multiple families involved. Even when communication between all members of the farm management team has been good, there are often difficult decisions that need to be made and avoiding conflict may not be possible. There is nothing wrong with a little healthy conflict over differing ideas. Mixing and matching various ideas is where innovation comes from. When discussions turn from a healthy debate over various options to a negative battle, it usually means someone’s interests or feelings were not taken into consideration. If they were, they weren’t being respected. Once communication breaks down and relationships begin to sour it is tough to turn things around.

One of the best ways to avoid negative conflicts from the start is to get the help of someone outside the farm to act as a facilitator to make sure there is healthy discussion between all members of the farm business. While some farm businesses may be lucky enough to have someone within who can be an impartial facilitator or mediator, it is very difficult to have someone involved in the business play such a role because they are usually too close to the situation.

There are a variety of people that may be able to serve as a facilitator. Some attorneys have a niche for helping businesses go through transitions. Rather than advocating for a particular member of the business they work on behalf of the farm business itself. There are even a few farm financial consultants who can step out of their financial advisory role and take on the job of facilitator. Another possible source is the Wisconsin Farm Mediation and Arbitration Program of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Although this free program was originally set up to help farmers deal with an existing conflict, any good mediator will tell you that it is much easier and more pleasant to help people constructively manage conflicts rather than deal with them once things have broken down.

If you would like more information on how the Wisconsin Farm Mediation and Arbitration Program may be able to assist, call them at (800) 942-2474. If you would like some tips on how to handle difficult conversations positively you can contact Lincoln and Marathon County Ag Development Agent Tom Cadwallader at (715) 536-0304 or (715) 261-1240. Tom has over ten years of experience teaching and consulting conflict management techniques in a wide variety of situations.