Getting teams of dairy personnel to work together can be a particular challenge on large dairies. For example, I often hear breeders complain their results are not good because the fresh cow guys aren’t treating fresh cows correctly. Or herdsmen may become frustrated treating mastitis because they feel the milkers aren’t finding the mastitis cows quickly enough. Dairy managers often face challenges keeping everyone working together. I want to explain how to use management principles to create teamwork. I’ll do this by using the example of how maternity personnel and calf feeders can work together for positive results.
Successful calf raising depends on feeding 4 quarts of colostrum to every newborn within 6 hours after birth. Large dairies normally employ a day and a night maternity technician that can feed colostrum. When adequate colostrum is fed, the baby calf manager’s job is made easier (no scours, sick or dead calves) or more difficult by how good the maternity workers do their job of feeding colostrum. Let me explain the management steps to create teamwork between the maternity and calf feeders to maximize results.
The Dairy Manager’s Responsibilities
First, the dairy manager sets goals for the maternity technicians and for the calf-feeding team. For example, maternity persons are expected to feed colostrum so calves have greater than 5.0 total protein score on blood samples taken on greater than 95% of all calves born. (Total protein values will be below 5.0 when colostrum is not fed at adequate amounts or soon enough after birth; it is an excellent test to monitor colostrum delivery.) The calf feeder team is expected to care for, treat and manage the babies to attain a death loss less than 3%.
The second responsibility of the dairy manager is to define work routines for workers involved in the colostrum feeding process. Three different workers are necessarily involved:
- The Head Milker milks, collects and processes colostrum by milking fresh animals 2X/day according to the following protocol:
Predip & Forestrip,
Wipe & Attach to
milk fresh cows
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Milk colostrum into a single bucket |
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Pour colostrum from each bucket into gallon jugs |
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Screw top on each bottle and wash outside; put bottles
into a crate
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- The Baby Calf Manager collects and manages colostrum inventory according to the following protocol:
| Arrive at parlor when fresh cows are milked |
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Transport gallon colostrum jugs to refrigerator in maternity area |
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Put freshest colostrum on top shelf |
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Take out extra oldest colostrum to feed day old calves |
- Maternity Personnel are instructed to feed colostrum according to the following protocol:
| Warm gallon of colostrum in hot water when cow is in labor |
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Move newborn to small pen and dip navel with iodine |
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Feed gallon of colostrum with an esophageal feeder |
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Fill in "Calving Form" with id, date, time of colostrum feeding |
- The Baby Calf Manager monitors total protein levels (a direct reflection of whether or not the colostrum feeding protocol was implemented) according to the following protocol
| Obtain blood sample from all 2 day old calves |
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Wait 4 hours, put 1 drop of serum on refractometer |
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Read & record results from each calf |
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Report results to manager daily |
Workers Responsibilities
Each worker learns his/her job according to what the dairy manager establishes and teaches. Because the work routines are very specific, the manager needs to teach by telling and showing; workers learn best when they HEAR, SEE and then DO. Part of each work routine is to collect information or do testing procedures so all workers know that results will be recorded and evaluated.
Results
The dairy manager tabulates results, records these along side the goals and communicates these to maternity AND calf raising personnel weekly or monthly. Everyone works together because each realizes their success (results) depends on someone else rather than just upon what they do.
Summary: The Management Principles
Creating teamwork by implementing management principles on dairy farms is practical and productive; workers are content and successful while excuses are eliminated. The steps are:
- Managers set goals that are clear and measurable.
- Managers along with workers establish practical, but very specific work routines; these work routines can not be determined by each individual worker.
- Managers teach; workers learn their work routines.
- Data collection and testing are part of workers duties and responsibilities.
- Managers analyze results and feedback results to each team of workers:
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Results are presented right next to goals |
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b. |
Good results are identified; encouragement to “just keep doing it” builds confidence and continued teamwork |
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Results out of tolerance are discussed and changes in either personnel performance or the work routine are implemented. |
Dairies that have high performance don’t usually have "super stars". Rather they have workers who are organized, focused and value results through working together. Teamwork requires a leader, players, rules and a goal. It is possible to organize your dairy to have successful teamwork.
