United at Union Dairy

SAUK CENTRE, Minn. — Getting a team of 44 employees to get excited to come to work every day and work cohesively is no easy undertaking, but the team at Union Dairy has recently been recognized for their employee training protocols.

“We want everyone to be happy to come to work,” Rocio Ramirez, human resources and safety manager for Union Dairy, said. “When you like your job, it is fun, and we want people to have that feeling. We celebrate holidays and certain achievements together, like when we cover the silage pile. We thank everyone for their hard work.”

Union Dairy, which is a part of Silverstreak Dairy LLP, milks 2,000 cows at its Sauk Centre site. The farm was recently presented with the 2026 Excellence Award in Workforce Development through the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management Program. The farm was nominated by Land O’ Lakes Inc.

Along with Ramirez, Annie Vannurden, general manager of Silverstreak Dairy, Steven Landwehr, managing partner of Silverstreak Dairy, and Edgar Sanchez, site manager at Union Dairy, are a few of the team members who ensure all employees are provided with all the tools they need to accomplish the task at hand and feel welcome not only at work but within the community.

“I was excited (to receive the award) but I feel that it is our responsibility, and it just makes everyone’s job easier to have a strong company culture,” Vannurden said. “When it (company culture) is done right, it gives us all the ability to truly focus on our job and the task at hand instead of the background stuff.”

One example of this is covering the silage pile.

“You know you have a good team when it comes time to cover the silage pile and everybody steps up, goes to a spot, and the job gets done so seamlessly that barely anyone has to say a word,” Landwehr said. “It’s a big task that isn’t most people’s favorite job, but they understand the importance of it, so they work together to get the job done.”

Vannurden said Silverstreak Dairy has focused on streamlining its onboarding process during the last few years.

“Those first two weeks are vital,” Vannurden said. “It took us many years to build this, refine it and maintain it. We all wouldn’t be where we are if it wasn’t for everyone else that works here.”

Once hired, all employees are given a site tour, which includes showing them each area of the farm, from the breakroom to the bathrooms and everything in between. Then Ramirez goes over the employee handbook and emergency action plans. After that, a welcome video and safety video are shown.

“We not only give them the information, but we take the time to make sure they understand it,” Landwehr said.

Once that is done, new employees are each paired with a mentor in their work area. Mentors work directly with their assigned employees for their first two weeks. After one month, the supervisor checks in with each new employee to see how they are doing. Every employee goes through a performance review every May and December, which is also done by their supervisor. If the employee has shown they are a good worker, they may receive a raise at each of these reviews.

“I sit down with them and ask them how they feel the job is going, what is going well and what areas they can improve on,” Sanchez said.

Almost all employees start out as a milking technician in the parlor. Once they show they are responsible, they can move onto other positions such as cow pusher technician, scraper, shop mechanic, sand quality, maternity ward, calf care and herdsman.

“Some guys want to stay in the parlor, and that is fine, but whenever a position opens up, we always ask current employees first if they want to change positions,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez and Ramirez both started out as milkers and have worked their way up to leadership positions. Sanchez has been with Union Dairy for 22 years, and Ramirez has been there for 18 years.

“When employees start out in the parlor, you can get to know them because they are always around other people,” Ramirez said. “You learn how they work with other people and the animals so that you can better determine when another position opens up, if they would be a good fit.”

Vannurden agreed.

“The parlor is the heart of the dairy farm,” she said.

Many of the employees at Union Dairy have been there for more than 10 years.

“Often when an employee first comes here, they start talking to the other employees who are in other positions and learn that they have been here for 5, 10 or 20 years; … they see that this company really values its employees,” Landwehr said. “Once employees get past the parlor, the turnover is little to nothing.”

Another process that each of the Silverstreaks dairies does is annual confidential surveys.

“It is very nice to get that feedback; it helps you grow,” Ramirez said. “We always remind our employees, you have the power to create the culture, and we have a great culture here.”

The team at Union Dairy sums up their strategy by setting clear expectations, accountability and transparency.

“We all have different roles and responsibilities, and when we all hold to those values, we are all better off,” Vannurden said. “We give them (employees) everything they need to do the task at hand, and we are there for them when they need us.”

The entire team at Silverstreak Dairy strives to create a positive work environment to safely, effectively and efficiently get their job done.

“We wouldn’t be where we are if someone didn’t give us the opportunity,” Ramirez said. “We all got to where we are because someone gave us the opportunity, believed in us and helped us through it. That’s what we should do as a business, too. Life is full of opportunities that other people give you.”