DR. HUGO RAMIREZ, Iowa State University Extension dairy specialist, speaks to a group of dairy producers in December. He encouraged attendees to make the Hispanic populations on their dairies feel valued. He said to be clear when giving directions, and introduce them to other members of the team so they feel more comfortable asking questions when they need to.

By KAREN SCHWALLER

kschwaller@evertek.net

ORANGE CITY – Understanding the culture of immigrating Hispanic workers and being clear with them regarding dairy farm policies will increase productivity and help retain workers on dairy farms, according to Hugo Ramirez, Iowa State University Dairy Specialist.

Ramirez spoke to a group of dairy producers in December, saying the U.S. dairy industry is relying more and more on Hispanic people to continue its work.

“Labor is the second-largest expense of a farm,” he said. “The farmer has to make money to pay the employees, so everyone must respect (the need) to make a profit.”

Dairies, he added, need to see their family-owned business as a company, as a place that needs a labor force and structure like any other business.

Citing the structure of labor management, Ramirez said it comes down to four basic areas – expectations, openness to feedback, employee training and employee education.

He added a farm handbook is needed to establish order, citing who is in charge of what area on the dairy farm, eliminating confusion on jobs and keeping the right people in the know about specific areas of the dairy.

It’s also important for workers to understand how the success or failure in one area of the farm affects other areas, and that a worker’s actions affect other peoples’ jobs.

Ramirez said the handbook needs to include information on job descriptions, tell employees how they will be evaluated, talk about benefits and animal abuse policies, among other areas.

“And your handbook should be available in Spanish,” said Ramirez, adding that if a Hispanic person cannot read it, they will not understand policies.

“It could be a liability for a dairy farm if the training is done in English; if Hispanic workers are not properly trained in their native language,” said Ramirez, noting that if workers do not clearly understand how things are to be done, accidents can happen easily.

Google Translate helps people of mixed cultures be able to communicate.

“It can feel embarrassing to tell someone you don’t understand because you don’t have good English,” he said. “You need to find a way around language barriers and train in native languages as much as possible.”

He also urged dairy producers to talk to their suppliers to help provide bilingual support and products that can be read and understood by Hispanic workers.

Ramirez referred to a common statement that reads, “You can’t manage what you can’t measure.” That was the basis he used to help reiterate the importance of a dairy farm handbook, because in order to have the greatest efficiency, there needs to be a measure of performance for people working on dairy farms.

“There is a difference between doing something fast, and doing it efficiently,” he said.

Hiring someone with little to no experience isn’t always bad because they can be more easily trained, with no “bad habits” to overcome first.

“Set clear expectations for them. That’s the first path to success,” he said. “Then give them the tools to do the job.”

Additionally, Ramirez said hands-on training and written protocol are important.

Making sure everyone knows who is in charge of specific areas of the dairy will eliminate confusion in communication. It allows for only one person saying how something should be done, and employees understanding exactly what their jobs are.

“Many decisions on the farm are opinion-based instead of fact-based,” Ramirez said. “You need to tell your workers what to do specifically and how to do it. Word of mouth distorts down the line.”

It’s also important to manage the people who will be managing the cows.

“Managing crops and dairy cows, with their own challenges, is easier than managing people,” he said. “You become a manager of everything.”

Consistent actions allow for streamlined, uniform operations, and he added that that workers who understand the “why” of a job will become more engaged in their work. If a person is trained in dairy cow nutrition and knows it’s important to mix a certain ration at a certain time, they should make sure the worker understands why it’s important to mix that ration or feed it at certain times of the day. Otherwise that manager’s knowledge of nutrition can be lost on the worker.

Ramirez went on to say that cultural differences should be understood because it’s easy to hurt someone’s feelings by simple actions that don’t offend anyone in the U.S. culture. Something as simple as introducing new Hispanic workers to others on the team is a critical step in effective labor management.

“Have an orientation of sorts,” he said, adding that workers will feel more comfortable approaching other members of the staff if they have been formally introduced.

He added dairy owners should be respectful to their workers and even their ideas.

“How you say things is just as important as what you say,” he said. “Be clear, and when things are going well, tell them. Don’t wait until the opportunity is gone to say the things you need to say. Be specific when you tell them about something they did well.”

“You need to care about your employees and empower them, even asking about their day,” Ramirez added. “Give them a hunger to do things right. Call them by name. Build optimism … they need to see the big picture.”

He said helping Hispanic workers feel valued will help efficiency and order.

“If they are here illegally they can feel trapped in a job,” he said. “You can take the burden away by acknowledging them as you walk by them, or simply saying, ‘enjoy your meal’ as they are eating lunch, or letting them know that what they do on your dairy farm matters.”