Its about the culture

The word ‘culture’ itself is a bit too ‘airy fairy’ for a Boomer, its friday beers for Gen X, bean bags in the smoko room for Millennials and chatting on messenger with someone in the same room for Gen Z. The formula for a good culture is difficult to explain or emulate.

Environmental targets, carbon offsetting and making a genuine profit are tough…..I’ve seen many a corporate farming entity doctor these KPI’s to suit their own agenda…… In previous roles overseeing farms I’ve been instructed to ‘get a good culture on farms’. Invariably it always starts at the top of any organisation.

One of the most common problems I see is the ‘Blame Game’, upper-level management or some farm owners cross the blurry line they see as accountability. Ultimately at any level it results in cover ups, whether its dodgy cashflow adjustment or hiding a damaged motorbike, it has a negative impact on culture due to eroded trust, and the ensuing poor engagement.

I’ve had dealings with most large corporate Australian Dairy Groups (apologies for the dairy focus, principles are identical across all farming enterprises), speaking to two I would consider the most successful with the related cultures, firstly they

• Resource their farms properly.
• Managers start with good machinery and dairies.
• Tidy farms, their leaders realise that dairy farming is hard enough, without having to ‘chase your tail’ and squeeze capital maintenance into your Farm Working Expenses.
• Shield managers from board pressures and explain farm requirements to boards, who often have little farming knowledge.

Their CEO’s or owners are unflappable and genuinely care about their managers/staff welfare and ambitions. They verbalise appreciation when things are busy or tough, as is the seasonal nature of farming. This filters through to the 2IC’s or senior members of small farm teams who inspire juniors with the same attitude.

I’ve been farming in partnership and on my own account since 1997. Firstly sheep and beef till 2008 (the culture was great…..it was just me, and the old man when things were busy).

Then I converted to dairy in 2008 and the culture has had its ups and downs, but this year we have accidentally achieved a genuine good team culture…..or just done the above more betterer…..

It’s hard to describe ‘good team culture’….. you feel it, and its directly correlated with engagement and the ensuing caring for livestock and workmates, this is what it looks like in a small team.

Our scenario: 750 cows self contained, producing  350,00 Milk Solids, using Halter virtual fencing on 300ha milking platform with 200ha run off, 800ml rainfall/annum and 700kg/cow purchased grain and DDG. Team members and roles:

• Sam B – 26, Herd Manager, FT, 5 years on farm.
• Josh B – 40, 2IC, FT, 4 years on farm.
• Jake L – 24, Junior, FT, my son, 4 months on farm.
• JP – 24, (Aug-Nov) Irish backpacker, junior, 4 weeks on farm.
• Georjay B – 25, Sam B partner and PT calf rearer.
• Me – (3 months/yr) Owner, ‘cups off’ in mornings over calving, helps Georjay rear calves, organises feed, fertilizer, contractors, fixes stuff and currently careful not to breach 400k Overdraft limit.

Examples of what happens when culture is good

• Zero arguments, we expect things to go wrong…..no scone-dooers!
• Josh B works weekend crook as a dog, as he knows with 30 calves a day everyone else has to work harder.
• Georjay B turns up on her day off as she appreciates how hard it is to train 20-30 calves a day.
• Jake and JP volunteer to milk early and pick up calves to take pressure off, so they can get to footy.
• Good use of technology, Messenger groups in conjunction with Halter used by Sam B to overcommunicate with younger tech savvy staff.

We have a lunch meeting once a week starting with WHS, review processes, results and usually take the piss out of Jake and JP.

Key takeaways for improving culture

1. Appreciation and honesty from top down.
2. Sensible resourcing.
3. Eliminate the ‘Blame Game’…..as part of inductions I tell guys they can’t possibly break as much stuff as I have, we want to avoid making the same mistake twice, and its everyone’s responsibility to make sure everyone goes home in one piece.

It’s a tough pill to swallow but if your culture is poor, the first place to look is…..in the mirror.