Producer Spotlight 

As a large dairy grows, safety takes

the stage   

Milk Source ownership team. From left: John Vosters, Jim Ostrom  

and Todd Willer

When you've grown a dairy business from 80 cows in 1976 to a 900-cow herd in the mid 1990s to 22,0000 cows and 7,500 calves today, all managed at seven dairy farms by 230 employees, it's obvious that systems and methods must change and evolve.  

And one of those systems is safety training. Many dairy owners may not focus intensely on safety as a corporately managed program or department when compared to nutrition management, herd health, finance, or facilities and equipment.

But the owners of Kaukauna, WI-based Milk Source--Jim Ostrom, John Vosters and Todd Willer--have given safety a high priority. Safety is integral to how the dairies' staff do their jobs, and how overall dairy efficiency and financial performance is measured.

"Our business is big and getting bigger, with many moving parts. We needed to make a culture shift," said Milk Source Human Resources Director Ryan Knorr, of the company's recent moves to formalize its approach to training.

Six months ago, Knorr and Milk Source appointed a safety director, Juan Quezada, a long-time dairyman whose sole duty is to ensure all 230 employees receive necessary safety training relevant to their position, and are updated on that training every six months.

"We train on everything from cow handling to working in confined space to MSDS documentation to skid-steer operation," said Ryan. But figuring out what safety issues and concerns need to be addressed is also a two-way street. "We tell employees to never be afraid to bring us new ideas on how to do something better."

Milk Source worked with a local technical college to devise a training strategy and to certify their safety director. They also integrate their safety program with their workers comp insurance program. Beyond tracking accident rates or damage assessments, the program centers on the individual employee. "We track who attended which training session and when they need to be retrained," said Ryan. Training is always done through live meetings. Juan Quezada, the safety director, is bilingual and can cover all English and Spanish-speaking staff.

The safety training emphasis promises many long-term benefits, but starts with one goal. "We want every employee to go home at the end of the day knowing they are healthy and safe at work," says Ryan. "If that happens, greater efficiency, productivity and cost savings all come hand in hand."

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