IFAO Conference Speaker, Stacey Brownridge shares news on employment opportunity
At the 2009 Innovative Farmers Conference one of our speakers was human resources specialist, Stacey Brownridge.
Stacey recently contacted IFAO as she felt with our connections to minimal tillage, we might have a member who would be interested in an upcoming employment position.
The opening is a new position as Territory Manager for Ontario and Quebec with Seed Hawk, an international manufacturer of state-of-the-art zero-tillage seeding systems, sold in Canada, the U.S., Australia, and Eastern Europe.
In 2006, Seed Hawk partnered with Väderstad-Verken AB of Sweden, and their technology and exports expanded dramatically. Väderstad-Verken AB is one of the leading manufacturers of seeding and cultivation equipment in Europe and has been around for over 45 years. In conjunction with Väderstad-Verken AB Seed Hawk plans to launch their expanded line of Seed Hawk and Vaderstad-Verken products into the Ontario and Quebec markets.
For more details on this employment opportunity…
Innovative Farmers Agricultural Bus Tour 2009
The 2009 Agricultural Bus Tour of Indiana and Illinois is shaping up to be the best ever. Five days of friendly, interesting travel and innovative farming ideas. Grow your mind and your contacts with us this summer. Here are just some of the items on the tour.
Cost: IFAO Members – $500.00 Non-members – $575.00 – no GST
Price includes coach & accommodations.
All accommodation includes breakfast. All other meals not included.
Deadline to register is July 31, 2009, if not filled before that date.
For more information, contact Jim & Lorraine House
Phone 519-769-2443, Fax 519-769-2777, 6650 Boxall Rd, RR 2, Port Stanley, ON N5L 1J2
Thanks to DEKALB for their financial support of the IFAO bus tours.
Ontario Weed Identification Tool
Controlling weeds in crops is a constant battle for farm managers.
Ontarioweeds.com is a powerful search tool that helps producers identify and manage yield robbing weeds.
Simply type in the name of a weed (common names, botanical name, or Bayer code) to access information for that specific weed, or if you don’t know the name of the weed that you need information on, simply search using descriptive terms such as "yellow flower", or "thistle." The information for that specific weed is displayed, including reference illustrations, photographs and control options.
Online Herbicide Management Tool
WeedPro 75 is a crop management tool that provides you with online advice for herbicide treatments with a focus on both profitability and environmental stewardship.
It is a four part process, where producers input their crop, field and weed information and then the online tool provides recommendations based on your priorities.
Enter specifics about your crop and weed issues and receive suggested herbicide treatments.
Bayer offers producers useful internet BMP models, free of charge
· SPRAYcast – Growers can use this tool to identify the best time of day for spraying, using a 3 day forecast and field locations specific to their operation.
· DONcast – a tool to predict deoxynivalenol toxin (DON) concentration in wheat at harvest.
· WHEATcast – provides advice on when to scout your wheat fields for key wheat diseases including Septoria and powdery mildew.
Collaboration is the Future of Agriculture
by Stefanie Nagelschmitz
The future of agriculture lies in the collaboration between greener practices, technology and expert consultation argues Agri-Trend CEO Robert Saik.
As the banquet speaker for the Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario (IFAO) conference this February, Saik showed the audience of farmers and industry professionals how agriculture is moving towards greener and more digital practices.
“I think this is a new economy coming to farmers,” said Saik. “One of the things that is a great opportunity is more collaboration … that cross-collaboration of ideas is great.”
According to Saik government policy and digital field mapping can facilitate greener farming operations. He cited „green box‟ government policies which encourage environmentally conscious efforts like greenhouse gas emissions targets and carbon credits.
Contributing to carbon credit programs can be expensive for farmers when considering the high capital cost for things like anaerobic digesters. Saik counters that argument quickly. According to him, there are companies willing to help cover the infrastructure cost and then share 30 per cent of the carbon credit revenue – another showcase of future agricultural collaborations.
Beyond greenhouse gas emissions there are other innovations that will lead agriculture to a greener future. The fertilizer or pesticide applications can be curbed to cater to fields‟ specific needs. Saik promotes digital mapping and nitrogen reading technologies like the Greenseeker to track the chemical amounts needed.
“There are a lot of guys out there who are making bad decisions about fertilizer,” says Saik. “You‟re buying fertilizer, you‟re making decisions and I want you to make good decisions.”
Taking the time to change chemical blends annually or by field can save farmers up to $10 000. Saik stresses the importance of monitoring field conditions every year with digital mapping. Mapping gets farmers the best bang for each dollar spent on chemical inputs.
Farmers should monitor their fields by taking advantage of local experts like crop consultants. Taking advantage of crop consultants and retailers also help farmers optimize their inputs for top yields.
When Saik looks at the future he sees an agriculture industry capitalizing on collaboration. A healthy mixture of greener government policy, resource maximizing technology and expert consultation will lead to a prosperous agriculture.
Good Farming Includes Good Employees
Hiring, Training and Employee Management can benefit from a little structure
by Stefanie Nagelschmitz
Strong agricultural businesses not only master the technical but are effective people managers as well. Adding structure to hiring and training are crucial to successful employee management.
Human resources expert and Saskatchewan farmer, Stacey Brownridge, taught Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario (IFAO) conference attendees how to hire and then manage quality workers. In the economic stresses of today‟s Canadian workforce, Brownridge encouraged farmers to continue seeking the best applicants.
“This is the first time we‟ve had a surplus labour market,” says Brownridge. “You want every employee to be an income generating unit otherwise they‟re just a cost.”
Brownridge encourages farm business owners to be critical of their applicant pools without hesitating to expand them as widely as possible. She is quick to suggest using inexpensive mail drops for marketing available jobs to many households. In her case, Brownridge often competes with the oilsands for labour. She urges employers not to get overly excited and continue a critical hiring process. Her advice includes formal interviews with scenario-based questions.
“We need to adjust our thinking now to make sure we are getting good qualified candidates,” says Brownridge.
The hiring process is only one piece of the employee management puzzle. Brownridge is passionate about building strong relationships and clear expectations. Although it may seem awkward, she asked the IFAO audience to consider a more structured training process.
Keeping a wide ongoing stream of dialogue about employer and employee expectations is critical. Those dialogues should cover work hours, vacation, performance standards and even safety expectations. Brownridge constantly emphasizes the importance of setting up expectations from the very beginning of a new employee‟s term.
“[Employees] can‟t read your mind, unfortunately,” she says. “When you define the road and then you go into the ditch it‟s a lot easier to know, „hey, you‟re in the ditch.‟”
If new employees are not meeting expectations or show poor attitude in the initial three months there are tools. During those initial three months of employment, both the employee and employer have the right to end the agreement without added cost. This makes regularly checking in with new employees important.
Like business in any industry, agricultural business owners need structured hiring and employee management strategies to ensure the strongest labour team possible. Successful agricultural businesses are on top because they master all aspects of their operation, including their people.
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