In the Land of Milk and Money: One Dairy Farm's Strategic Compensation System

Farm business need to attract, retain and motive valuable workers, and meet productivity and quality goals in order to achieve their strategic objectives. Willow Bend Farm, a dairy operation run by the Muller family in upstate New York, created and implemented a strategic compensation system to help achieve farm growth over its nearly forty-year history. This paper is a case study of Willow Bend’s total compensation system from 1957-1996, during which time the farm experienced tremendous growth. The owners of Willow Bend Farm implemented an array of compensation programs over this time period, including a unique worker cow-ownership program that, by design, increases worker’s initial investment as new calves are born. Other incentives target key behaviors necessary to farm success