It’s been said many times that three Ps underpin success in the dairy industry – pastures, profits and people. For South Australian dairy farmer and Dairy Australia’s SA chair Andrew Cavill, prioritising the latter always needs to come first.
Andrew manages Corobinna, a dairy farm in Bool Lagoon in South Australia’s south-east. He works alongside his son Josh, and they employ four other people, milking 700 Holsteins in a 60-unit rotary dairy.
“Get the people side of things right and treat your employees well, and the other things will come,” Andrew says.
A big part of Andrew’s bid to look after his employees is his commitment to supporting them to upskill – whether that be through attendance at industry training events and networking activities, participation in online courses, or completion of broader agricultural qualifications.
Working out how best to upskill the employees is a decision made by each individual worker themselves.
“It’s important to understand what our staff want to achieve in life, so we regularly sit down and go through their aspirations and empower them to find the courses and training they want to do,” Andrew says.
Putting the decision in the hands of his employees is important to Andrew. He would rather send employees to training that is going to benefit them as individuals as well as the business.
Andrew’s employees have upskilled themselves across a broad range of topics over the years through Dairy Australia and Dairy Australia’s services and program offered in South Australia. They have also upskilled in areas outside of dairy, such as first-aid, wellbeing, and accounting.
“You can’t do everything, but if we think a development opportunity will be of value to an individual, it is ultimately a value to the business – because the individual will be a better person for having upskilled,” Andrew says.
“I want to create an environment where people are supported to learn what they are interested in, so they feel valued.
“Whatever gets my workers excited, gets me excited.”
To Andrew, productivity gains are a natural progression when people are upskilled, as their confidence is boosted to make decisions independently or to contribute input in group meetings.
“We try to have our employees understand exactly what we’re trying to achieve and where we’re going,” Andrew explains.
“We usually ask for their input into major decisions that are going to affect something to do with their job and the way they operate.
“At the end of the day, we want them to feel like they are going forward, rather than just turning up because they have to – and upskilling really helps with that.”
To find out more about how Dairy Australia provides support with employing and managing people, and building skills for successful careers in dairy farming, contact your regional team today or visit dairyaustralia.com.au/people.
