Not all career opportunities look like opportunities when you start. Mick Hombs needed a little encouragement to become the new General Manager of FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative.
For years, Homb was Director of Milk Marketing for the cooperative’s Family Dairies USA division. Every day he was responsible for managing a dynamic milk hauling schedule, navigating diverse buyer relationships facing seasonal fluctuations, and making sure there was never any question about the quality of the product they were providing. All that while keeping their milk producer payroll a priority.
Homb tells Pam Jahnke that he would’ve been satisfied to stay in his current role, but after visiting with staff and his family, he decided he was comfortable with the new opportunity as presented. Homb said that by understanding the core funtions that FarmFirst offers their member patrons, he plans to keep growing the areas they’re already finding success.
Homb explains that he really, ultimately enjoys working with the dairy farm families that make up FarmFirst. On a daily basis he may be visiting with farms to find out about any volume changes they’re expecting, any feed adjusts that could influence quality. The pieces of the puzzle have to fit. “I know it’s a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week job,” Homb says, “but it’s nothing like what the dairy farm families are accomplishing every day of the year.” That respect for the farmers he serves has also helped Homb welcome the confidence they’re showing by naming him as general manager.
