Pros and cons of feed mill management
The cons can be significant, but the pros must substantially outweigh them. How do we know?
By Adam Fahrenholz, Charles Stark, and Wilmer Pacheco
In our various roles relating to educating, training, consulting, and conducting research in and around feed mills, we often have the opportunity to listen to mill managers discuss their jobs. These conversations often include both career and day-to-day efforts and cover both the pros and cons of the position. There are of course variations in experiences that stem from personal and environmental differences, and we can’t cover everything. However, we thought it would be interesting to share some of the most common things we’re told. We hope these shared observations resonate with you and/or give you something to consider if things don’t seem quite the same at your facilities.
We’ll start with a con and then go back and forth so that we don’t dwell on the negative, and we’ll end on a high note.
One negative issue that still comes up, but much less frequently than it used to, is dealing with regulatory requirements. We used to hear this all the time, generally focused on the amount of recordkeeping and the stress of inspections. But, while these still aren’t exactly favorites, it does feel like complaints around regulations are more infrequent than in the past. Maybe this is because the increased amount of regulations has led to more training and resource allocation, making many managers more comfortable with accepting the work that goes into compliance.
A pro that gets mentioned all of the time is that every day is something different, or at least it feels that way. Some people thrive on routine and an expectation that change and variation will be limited in both the short and long terms. Mill managers often half-heartedly complain when their daily plan gets interrupted. In reality, however, the job seems to attract people who enjoy solving problems across a range of systems, so the interruption instead provides a good excuse to go focus on something new for a while.
There can be absolutely no doubt that feed manufacturing and an 8-to-5 schedule don’t mix. And we’ve all heard that animals always need to eat, even on holidays. The stress of long and unplanned hours is nearly always included on the pros and cons list, as it very well should be. Many managers feel like they are constantly “on-call,” and find it difficult to step very far away from their facilities for any extended period. In addition, they often volunteer to work holidays and cover days off to support their staff. We should note, however, that many managers don’t find these issues to be bothersome enough to leave the field. Instead, they view them as harsh realities that they want others to be aware of before stepping into a similar role.
There is a lot of pride in mill management when it comes to the production of a product that feeds animals, and often contributes to feeding the world. This role provides a sense of importance and accomplishment shared by many in the feed industry. Nearly everyone likes to feel that they are making a difference in their job. When the job directly impacts a survival staple like food, water, clothing, and shelter, it’s much easier to maintain a positive outlook on the impact everyone working in the feed industry makes. For what it’s worth, making sure that other employees know and understand their role in the feed industry can also influence how they view their job as well.
The comments about every day being different notwithstanding, having to deal with breakdowns and logistic issues is consistently mentioned as a frustration. But everyone knows that these things are going to happen, so why is it a common sore subject? The answer is likely rooted in the frequency that technical or logistical issues occur. It is one thing for a piece of equipment to fail and need repair, or for an ingredient not to arrive as scheduled. It is another thing altogether for these to happen seemingly all the time. When that happens regularly, is almost certainly indicates an issue related to management, budget, preventive maintenance, planning, and so on. In other words, we don’t hear mill managers complain about things breaking; what we hear about is when that manager feels like they’re spending all of their time putting out fires (hopefully figuratively) because they don’t have the infrastructure, resources, or general support to keep things operating smoothly.
Now, while having to fix things (or have things fixed) constantly is a burden, having the opportunity to occasionally get one’s hands dirty is generally viewed as a plus. Perhaps it is nature, the job attracts people who like to work hands-on, or maybe its nurture, managers are regularly promoted into the role from quality, maintenance, and/or operations roles. Regardless of the reason, most mill managers aren’t “sit behind a desk” people by preference. While office work is an accepted part of the job, many will gladly take an opportunity to climb around their facility and grab a wrench as a bit of a distraction.
Of course, the office doesn’t seem so bad when it’s particularly hot or cold in the mill or when it is necessary to work in a cleaner and quiet environment. As a manager, environmental issues become less about personal comfort and more about the expectations of others. The company, customers, and auditors like to see clean and well-kept facilities, though they might not always fully understand what it takes to make that happen. And most employees prefer to be comfortable while working (don’t we all?), so the mill environment can be a major obstacle to employee performance and retention.
Almost every manager has stories and concerns about hiring, training, retaining, and unfortunately losing (or letting go) employees. There is no doubt that dealing with people is hard. However, without fail, one of the most common and heartfelt positives we hear about the mill manager’s job is getting to work with a team that they built and care about.
Most feed mills don’t have many employees, at least not relative to other workplaces. With the nature of the work and typical schedules, it comes as no surprise that people get to know each other quite well. The manager provides support, instructs, directs, and disciplines their team. Many develop a great sense of responsibility for the wellbeing and success of their people, and it is a responsibility they enjoy. Not a worry, but a privilege.
We could continue listing the many good and bad things that get shared about this job. But instead, we’ll leave you with this: the cons can be significant, but the pros must substantially outweigh them. How do we know? Take a look around the industry, ask the mill managers how long they’ve been in the feed mill. You’ll find a lot of answers closer to and beyond 30 years than you’ll get that are less than 10. That’s no accident. It reflects a group of people who found a job that’s challenging and tiring and demanding, one they wouldn’t trade for anything else.