This document discusses how to create a good "barn culture" through proper human resource management. It begins by describing how a farm failed after a video showed animal abuse, costing the industry millions. A good barn culture prioritizes animal welfare and follows ethical principles. Key tools for developing this culture include recruiting qualified staff, orientation, standard operating procedures, training programs, performance reviews, and discipline processes. The document stresses that tools are only effective if implemented, and diligence from all levels of management is needed to consistently demonstrate proper care of animals.

1. "Can You Pass The YouTube Test?"
Creating The Appropriate Barn Culture
Jim Lummus
National Pork Board Staff

2. If there was a
hidden camera in
your barns could
you and your
people pass:
Image Test
Liability Test

3. How do you pass? Depends on who’s
grading the test
• Some will never say confinement production
passes
• Many others will award a passing grade if they
understand and see your animals best interest is
in your best interest.
• You can pass if you can prove you tried to do the
right things
• Let’s take a look at farm that failed

4. Especially to Pork Producers!
Viewer discretion is advised.
Warning! This video contains
graphic images of animal abuse and
profanity. Both are very disturbing.

5. • A three minute video…. 6,000 sow farm
• September 16th, 2009 PETA released video
and launched member e-mail campaign
• Landmark event-Inappropriate actions as well
as language displayed
• Aimed at Hormel, but affects all industry
• Nearly 30,000 calls, e-mails and letters
received from consumers, customers and
media
• More than 11.6 million media impressions
from more than 220 published articles

6. How did this “Bad Barn Culture” develop?
• People
• Management
• Motivation
• Processes
• Procedures
• Information
• Knowledge

7. What is Good Barn Culture?

8. Culture: the set of values,
conventions, or social practices
associated with a particular field,
activity, or societal characteristic.

9. Barn Culture: the set of values,
conventions, or social practices
associated with Pork Production.

10. “Barn Culture”
Adopted from Ethical Principles for U.S. Pork Producers
Approved March 7, 2008, by Pork Act Delegates
 Every person in your barns, at any given time,
strives to
 Produce safe food
 Protect and promote animal well-being
 Ensure practices that protect public health
 Safeguard natural resources in all of our practices
 Provide a work environment that is safe and
consistent with our other ethical principles
 Contribute to a better quality of life in our
communities

11. How do you make the right Barn Culture
happen?
“Where’s my standard operating procedure
for created the right Barn Culture?”
What tools can I use?

12. Recruiting and Hiring
Hiring the right person is arguably a
manager's most important
decision.

13. Selecting an Animal Caretaker Requires
Strategy, Process, Tools, Support
Recruiting Strategies
• Referral Program
• Networking infrastructure
• Incorporate a centralized hiring function
• Partner with Educational Institutions
Process to select and screen
candidates
• Background Checks
• Prepared Interview Questions

14. “Know what you are looking
for and don’t settle for less”
•Task Analysis-Identify the
qualifications and traits
required
•Job descriptions-task to
master and skills needed
Selection Tools

15. Hiring the Right Person
• Senior Management Support is Critical
• Prepare a farm team for turnover
• Establish willingness of farm staff to “set up” and
cover the work until a “good fit” is found
• Cross Training-incorporated into employee
development plan
• Link expanded capabilities with rewards
– Increase in salary and or benefits
– First steps for managers in training

16. “A key strategy to maintaining a successful
relationship is to continue the courtship
long after the knot has been tied.”
Hiring the Right Person is similar to
getting married.
Finding the right person is the first step.

17. Continuing the courtship, Employees
need to know
• What they are getting into?
• What they are supposed to do?
• How they are supposed to do the job?
• If they will have a chance to learn what to do?
• If they will I fit in?
• How this company works?
• Is there a future with this company?
• If they will gain respect if they do a good job?
• If the pay and benefits are worth the effort?

18. What they are getting into Orientation Guide,
Employee Handbook
What they are suppose to do Job Descriptions
How they are to do their job Standard Operating
Procedures
They will I have a chance to learn
what to do
Training Programs
They can fit in Recruiting and Selection
Guides, Orientation Guide
How the company works Employee Manual
There can be a future with this
company
Individual Development
Plans
They will be respected for doing a
good job
Performance Appraisals
The pay and benefits are worth the
effort
Total Compensation
Worksheet, Employee
Handbook

19. What Kind of Tools Do You Need?
• Personnel Records
• Employee Handbook
• Orientation Program
• Standard Operating Procedures
• On Job Training Program
• Procedures to Manage Performance
• HRM Training for Managers

20. Personal Records
• Legal
• Citizen status
• Taxes
• Benefits
• Medical
• Insurance
• Other

21. Employee Handbook
• Statement of the policies of the business and how
the business is to be conducted.
• Sets the foundation for employee behavior.
• Must be clear and as unambiguous as possible.
• In legal disputes courts have considered an employee
handbook to be a contractual obligation
• Word it carefully.

22. Orientation Program
• Getting acquainted or getting familiar with the
company and the surroundings
• A good orientation program provides the employee
information about the
• Company
• Key people to coach and mentor
• How to get help

23. Orientation Program
• Most orientation programs
are over loaded with
information that the new
employee needs to know
• Policies
• Procedures
• Rules

24. Orientation Don’ts
• Cram everything into
one morning
• Skip the touchy subjects
• Rush it
• Assume anything

25. Orientation Do’s
• Orient as a group
• Make a orientation course or
manual
• Answer all questions
• Conduct in different settings
• Get to know the new hire
• Allow sufficient time

26. Standard Operating
Procedures
Standard operating
procedures provide workers
a guide for day-to-day
execution of production
functions to help insure
consistency and accuracy of
work done.

27. Benefits of Implementing
• SOPs provide a one-stop location for training on how
to perform a task
• Simple to follow step-by-step
instructions
• Helps to ensure all employees are
following the same process
• Enables employees to consistently
apply best practices and reduce errors

28. Use of SOP’s ranges from
Occupying space on a shelf
to
Training tool with impact

29. Example Using SOP’s in Team Meetings
• Management selects a topic (key production indicator, KPI) of
the month for the entire organization or farm to review
• Management pulls SOP’s that impact KPI
• Manager sets aside 1 hour on specific day
• Entire farm team sets down together
• Manger leads discussion
• “This is where we are at, KPI’s”
• “Here is where we need to be”
• Go over each step of the SOP
• What is the cause of this gap?
• What do we need to do to close this gap?
• Techniques
• Emphasizing We
• Ask Why questions

30. On-the-Job Training Program
• Decreases training time
• Stabilizes workforce
• Provides more structure for
advancement
• Improves overall employee
satisfaction
• Improves business performance
• Allows scalability opportunities

31. On-the-Job Training Program Tools
• Job analysis
• Training and assessment forms
• Individual development/training plan
• Model for Task Training
“Prepare, Tell, Show, Do, Review”

32. Position description
Listing all task
associated with a
position
Listing of all
responsibilities by
position
GENERAL DESCRIPTION/DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES/PURPOSE
Breeding and gestation stockperson is a position specializing in the
daily pork production activities within a breeding and gestation
department. This position involves working in an agricultural
environment with continuous hands-on interaction with livestock and
regular structured routines. Daily activities include:
Breeding and Gestation Stockperson
Tasks – General
Feed sows and bred gilts (phases of feeding)
o Wean to first service
o Gestational feeding
 First 30 days
 Maintenance
 Electronic sow feeders
o Body condition scoring
o Pre-Farrow Feeding
o Limit feeding vs. ad libitum feeding
Watering sows
o Nipple waterers (flow)
o Trough waterers
o Monitoring quality (chlorine)
o Managing water usage

33. Training Plan
Names
Position-Breeding and Gestation Caretaker
Skill Assessment
Levels:
0=unable to perform or hasn’t been trained
1=able to implement all steps in SOP, but only with constant supervision, assistance and feedback
2=able to implement at least 60% of steps in SOP accurately without supervision or assistance
3=able to implement all steps in SOP accurately without supervision and without assistance
Tasks
Training
Start
(Date)
Training
Complete
(Date)
Training
Resources
Recommended
Trainer
Initials
Post-
Training
Skill Level
Rating
6 Month Skill
Level Rating
Notes
Gestation Barn Walks
Pregnancy Detection
Body Condition Scoring
Feedback, Pre-Farrow
Feedback In Gilt
Isolation
Feeding B-G Sows
Measuing Backfat
Setting Feed, Sows
Estrus (Heat) Detection

34. Task Training Model
1. Prepare
1. Put the learner at ease
2. Explain why the skill to be learned is important
3. Explain any hazards or problems that may be involved and how to deal with them
2. Tell
1. Explain the task thoroughly
2. Break it down into key parts or steps
3. Show
1. Demonstrate exactly how the task or skill is to be done for the employee
2. Ask questions and get feedback
3. Employee explains the process or skill back to the trainer
4. Do
1. Employee performs the task
2. Trainer makes sure that the employee does each step correctly
5. Review
1. Provide honest feedback

35. Manage performance to assure
people learn what to do, and
apply what they have learned.

36. Managing performance Tools
• Performance Appraisal templates
• Guide “How to Conduct Performance Appraisals”
• Training Checklist/skill assessment
• Progressive Discipline Process
• Specific procedures to document corrective actions
required and accomplished
• Employee Benefit-know boundaries
• Business Benefit
• Business performance
• Legal challenges

37. Standardized Performance Appraisals
• Consistency for all employees, regardless of who
evaluates.
• Clearly set expectations for employees, and ensures
that expectations are communicated consistently
• Provide targeted feedback to employees, based on
observed strengths and weaknesses.
• Provide appropriate training interventions to address
performance gaps observed.

38. “Managing People” Training for Supervisors
•Workplace Communication
•Conflict Resolution
•Recruitment and Selection
•Training and Development
•Performance Management
•Discipline and Termination
•Compensation
•Managing and Appreciating
Different Cultures
•Legal Basics

39. Types of Agriculture Business Risk
Production risk
Price or market risk
Financial risk
Institutional risk
Human risk

40. “Image Risk”
How do you manage “Image Risk” ?
Human Resource Management Tools
will help manage

41. With the appropriate
Human Resource Management tools
and programs in place and functioning,
Image Risk can be mitigated.

42. Some people will behave badly
The HR Tools and Programs used
become your proof that your business
is making a good faith effort to
“Do the Right Things”
To follow the Ethical Principals of US
Pork Producers

43. Let’s revisit the Bad farm?
Tools available to the farm and department manager at
this farm include
Recruiting and selection program
Orientation program
Employee manual
Animal care policies
Standard operating procedures
Employee training program
Performance management

44. Tools have no value unless you use
them

45. Diligence is Critical
Creating the right barn culture is on your
shoulders, your bosses shoulders and their
bosses shoulder.
Lead by example.
Use the tools you have
If you don’t know how to use a tool, learn
how.

46. Available at www.pork.org
Call 800.456.7675
Employee Care Toolkit

47. This message funded by America’s Pork Checkoff Program.
Thank you
Jlummus@pork.org