training

SwineCast 0492 Show Notes:

• Bruce Cochrane talks with DNL Farms Nancy Lidster about the video training programs now available to educate your handlers and truckers on low stress hog movement technique.
• Link to sample videos

That Latino employee that nods his head up and down and says: “Yes, yes, I understand…” may not really understand what is being said and that can be a real problem for your operation. 

So what’s the big deal, you might ask? 

This is a question that sometimes comes up when discussing the opportunities and challenges of having Spanish-speaking employees in agricultural operations. Often, the perception is that if you don’t know the language, it can be pretty hard to train these individuals to do what you need them to do. Knowing the language helps, but this by itself, won’t guarantee success when training your Spanish-speaking employees.

Sometimes, training is delegated to someone who may be bilingual, but may not have the skills or abilities to train. Other times, we are so busy getting things done, that we run out of time to do the training and when we get to it, we approach it without a well thought-out and organized training plan. Training should be viewed as an investment that will return employees that produce results with consistent quality and will help in your retention efforts.

SwineCast 0378 Show Notes:

• New website provides collaboration space for multi-specie diagnostic interaction.  DiagnosticSpeak.com
• Electronic training and collaboration support sure to grow in importance according to Iowa State

The recent college football recruiting season, followed in the last couple of weeks by the NFL draft, caused me to think about the vagaries of recruiting (or drafting) talent, versus training once the recruit has been signed up.  Look at how many top NFL draft picks and first-round picks flop, versus the number of mid- or late-round picks that go on to have solid, if not stellar, careers for evidence that the recruiting/drafting game is not an exact science.

In the recent NFL draft, no University of Alabama player was taken for the first time since 1970.  When a co-worker commented about this to me, I responded that Nick Saban will change that situation because he will recruit top-flight talent - as witnessed by the success Les Miles has had at LSU largely with Saban recruits and the fact that the Alabama had the top-ranked (by the recruiting services at least) signing class this year.  While recruiting prowess is a great start toward producing a top-ranked team, what happens after the recruits are signed is just as, if not more, important.

SwineCast 0276 Show Notes:

• Responsible Pork Symposium in Indianapolis draws 140 from around the U.S.
• Practitioner and producer Larry Reuff logs on with practical welfare concerns
• Making sure your employees are trained and in tune with your current protocols with Don Lidster at DNL Farms
• PigCHAMP software update review

Presentation from MIT OpenCourseWare on the topic of managers not MBAs.

Managers not MBAs. Click to listen or right click to download mp3 file to your computer.

If you prefer, this Flash based player will also play the audio. Double click play arrow.

SwineCast 0170a Show Notes:

• Dr. Moira Gunn of Tech Nation talks with author Carol Dweck on learning styles and whether we embrace status quo or enjoy change based on our style.