The Rural Voice, 2001-10, Page 25management.
Armed with his degree, he went to
work for Maitland Valley
Conservation Authority for several
years dealing with environmental
ismies, but government cutbacks
ended that career.
Brent recalls that though his father
had encouraged him to explore all the
options, he had also told him "the
farm is available if you ever need it."
"It's important to be asked," Brent
says, "to be wanted."
Bob was preparing in case family
members took up the invitation. "We
set up the farm so it was able to add
the kids to the farm," he says.
Preparing in advance means you
don't suddenly have to grow fast if a
child wants to become involved, he
says.
Wowing he was welcome to
K
come home when his other
career ran into difficulty,
Brent still had to ask himself if this
was what he wanted to do with the
rest of his life. It seemed a secure job
and it seemed interesting, he says. "I
was secure in the knowledge I knew
how to raise pigs. And there was
room for growth for me and my
brothers and sisters."
Scott had broken the path back to
the farm before his younger brother.
A graduate of Ontario Agricultural
College in 1983, he'd taken other
jobs before returning to the family
business in 1987. Vista Villa's herd
had just been repopulated in 1986
and the herd was expanding. "It was
pretty progressive," he recalls. "It
made it interesting to get involved."
Jeff, the youngest brother, didn't
follow his elders to Guelph but
instead earned a degree in geography`
and physical education at Brock
University. On graduation, however,
he hadn't decided what he wanted to
do with his life and the best available
option was back home. He also really
started to enjoy the farm work, he
recalls.
Inviting the kids back to be
involved in the farm is one thing,
making it work is another. "As
parents we have to have a tlexible
attitude to new thought processes of
farm development," Bob says. "If the
family is to connect to the farm then
they need to contribute to making it
succeed or fail."
It can be difficult for the parents
to share decision-making. "The kids
come up with ideas I may not agree
with." Bob says. "I throw out the
challenge — show me why we
should do it. Be prepared to back-up
your desires with good ideas."
He has allowed the younger
generation to try new things, some of
which worked, some of which didn't.
If the ideas don't work, "Keep the 'I
told you so' to yourself." Bob
advises.
The key to making an operation
work for a family this big is critical
mass, says Brent. Vista Villa is Targe
enough that each of the sons has an
area of specialization within the
farming operation. Scott, the eldest,
is involved in sales and in genetics.
Jeff, the youngest is the pig -flow co-
ordinator. Brent's knowledge of the
environment makes him in charge of
nutrient management as well as sales
and personnel issues.
The operation is large enough that
it also requires non -family employees
which adds another dynamic.
To blend family employees with
non -family workers, they try to hire
people with similar interests and
values to the family. They seek
hardworking, energetic and
intelligent people with an affection
for animals, Brent says. Sometimes
that can mean finding people with no
experience on the farm. Their second
longest -term employee. for instance,
came from a job in a jewellery store
but had an ability and willingness to
learn and cares for animals.
Employees need to be treated with
respect, Brent says. "The goal for
staff is to have them earn a living,
enjoy their work and go home
happy."
One of the advantages of working
at Vista Villa is a tlexible working
schedule. Employees can arrange
their time for family needs. There are
no full-time employees outside the
family. In effect, everyone is job -
sharing.
Employees are encouraged to go
to information meetings and other
educational possibilities. The family
also tries to involve the whole staff in
fun events such as outings to a Blue
Jays game and the staff Christmas
party.
It was a difficult transition for the
company to develop a modest human
resources capability, Brent says.
"Our learning curve is bumpy. It's
the one thing you need to do well."0
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