“That’s money that’s not going back to farmers,” he told the Australian Dairy Conference in Geelong in late February.
It meant farm owners couldn’t leave the property and less experienced people had to step up to take on work previously done by other staff which created a greater risk of accidents happening.
Looking at the profitability of two farms, one with high turnover and one with low turnover, it was estimated the low turnover property earned A21c/kg milksolids more than the high turnover farm. A study of a number of low staff turnover farms found that owners prioritised staff development so they were able to step back when needed.
They also made sure there was a good work environment where their employees had what they needed, they listened, paid staff well, included incentives and acknowledged workers’ efforts.
Halliday said one good example of employers with low turnover were West Australian farmers Oscar and Wendy Negus, who employ 10 staff on their 1300-cow farm.
“We have to structure our business so we employ the next generation otherwise we would close down,” they said.
They have systems for most onfarm jobs along with written policies on how to perform them, which they said really helped remove emotion in the workplace. They make a point of starting weekly meetings on a positive, not negative, note and always end with a raffle where everyone takes something home, even if it’s a pot of homemade jam.
