By Stephanie Hoff
As Wisconsin farms rely on a mix of family members, immigrant labor, and multi-generational workers, one expert says building a strong farm culture is essential to retaining employees.
Michael Hoffman, president of Igniting Performance, works with groups like Professional Dairy Producers to help farm leaders improve communication, culture, and leadership skills. He says that helping employees feel like they’re part of something bigger can increase satisfaction and reduce turnover.
“This is not your grandparents’ farm,” Hoffman said, noting farm employees work with people from different generations, different cultures, and now even different skill sets — people working with data, not just animals or equipment.
Hoffman emphasizes the importance of making people feel comfortable and valued. In one of his past jobs, he recalls a poultry worker who said, “I feed the world,” despite a repetitive task on the line. That sense of purpose, he says, came from leadership helping the employee understand his impact.
“That amazed me,” he said. “He feels a part of something larger than the work he is doing. And that’s a challenge for our farms.”
Hoffman advises that farms emphasize growing culture and helping people feel like family.
“We create family,” he says. “And that takes purposefulness and skill.”
