Chronicle Editor
Mhlupheki Dube
THERE is an old truism that says an organisation is as good as its human resources.
In other words the performance and the integrity of an organisation depends on the quality of its human resources. This is our subject of discussion this week. In line with this truism I would say that a farm is as good as its farm employees. In that regard I would like to argue that any serious livestock farmer would be well advised to invest in quality human resources for his farm.
It is very common among smallholder livestock farmers to just pick anyone from some township pavements in some rural districts and suddenly entrust them with the welfare of your 200 herd. There is no follow-up staff development efforts that are put in place to support this person.
His role is reduced to merely herding cattle yet we all know that there is more to livestock production than merely opening and closing pens. Some farmers do not have even the patience to provide an in-house mentorship for the boy and this can only result in an inefficient employee and a frustrated employer.
It is therefore, a good management practice to develop your employee so that he performs to the levels that meet your expectation. Staff development efforts for your farm employee may involve among others the following trainings, record keeping, animal health observations, basic husbandry skill, animal handling, heat detection, calf and dam management.
These do not need to be packaged to undergraduate level but levels basic enough to be comprehended by your farm employee. An employee who cannot even notice a cow or heifer which is on heat is not helpful especially if you do not have a bull of your own.
You would need early heat detection so that the cow or heifer can be driven to a herd with a bull and be serviced. Your farm employee should also be in the know on how to recognise a cow which is due to calve down and make sure it is properly taken care of and observed during parturition in case there is a need for assistance.
Online Reporter