We started mating this week and so last week we had our Mating team training session as we do every year to refresh the team on our mating process, make any adjustments needed and answer questions. Mating is a critical process on farm – its important to get it right. So its one process where its a good idea to have a clear visual standard process that everyone follows.
We use one page standard key point charts that are our standard processes and are displayed on the wall in our team rooms for easy access and visibility. These highlight the key steps involved. Alongside this we have a training video that we recorded over the last couple of seasons and which runs through the key steps. This helps remind everyone what we do and gives new people a good understanding of the process. Having simple visual guides and videos is a very effective way to train. It also means everyone receives the same information and same consistent process. While it takes a bit of time to create a video initially, it saves considerable time for years to come as it is a valuable training tool that everyone can refer to each season.
We have created a private YouTube channel (until we find a better way) on which we load all our training videos so that everyone in the team can access them when needed.
In addition to our mating training we discussed bull management and safety. As bulls go out soon, it is important that the process around these is clear for everyone.
If you are about to start mating then it is a good idea to have a refresher on your process and you can build this into your standard season plan as we have done.
