Farming isn’t easy. It’s long days, often doing difficult work. It’s getting up and going outside when it’s below zero or super hot and muggy. It’s mountains of paperwork you know you need to complete sitting on your desk. It’s losing animals. It’s watching a crop struggle. It’s watching the rain come down when you need it to be dry. It’s watching the soil crack when you need it to rain. But farming is also fun. It’s rewarding. It’s something that I am passionate about. And thankfully even the toughest days farming are made a lot easier because of the team we have here at Majestic Crossing.
We have shared the stories of several of our employees here on the blog over the last couple of years. We have plans to continue to do that but this post today is to share a little more about a group of people who have used their skill and energy to keep this farm rolling along for over 10 years.
In today’s world, many people change jobs often. Some may be looking for a better fit, some may be looking for a better opportunity. But knowing that job change is common, I take great pride in having so many of our people here at Majestic Crossing choosing to build their careers here. They aren’t just workers or employees, they are cornerstones of our farm.
I certainly don’t have all the answers when it comes to keeping employees happy so they stay, but I do know what has been working for our farm.
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Hiring. We prioritize hiring referrals from current employees but we also hire people from our community or work with recruiters to find good people. We want to hire people who are teachable and coachable.
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Firing. We don’t keep people around just to have someone there. If a new employee isn’t working out, we let them go before they drag everyone else down.
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Growth. We offer paths for employees to continue to grow and develop here at the farm. We like to hire people that want more from themselves and want to be challenged in a career, rather than just taking up space at a job.
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Enjoyment. We work hard and we make time to have fun. From doing big group dinners to hanging out and boiling sap for maple syrup, we want to have fun with the people we spend so much time with.
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Family. We’ve built a culture on the farm that really goes beyond just a team. Especially with the people who have been here for years, we see one another as family. It goes beyond blood and is a bond built by mutual respect and genuine caring for each other.
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Tangibles. All of the above doesn’t matter if, at the end of the day, you don’t make sure that the people you hire are well compensated. Appreciation is great, but it doesn’t pay the bills.
From a purely business perspective it makes sense for me to do my best to not give any of the people who work here a reason to even look for another job. Low employee turnover is a key piece of being a profitable business. But beyond that, these are the people that I spend most of my time with. I want to make sure that we all enjoy the work we do and the people we do it with. The hours in our day may be difficult at times, but they should also be enjoyable. While we may not be the quaint red barn family farm, at the end of the day we are a farm family.