Top 50 Protein Herds, Lancaster DHIA For
The top 50 protein producing herds for
October in Lancaster DHIA are listed as
follows:
NAME
EUGENE i SDSAH BESS
JOHN H HOMED
PAJKE H RAMCK JB
BOB+KAREN GOCHENAOB
HEBIY D ZIMHEBHAN
STEPHEN L HEBSHEY
BICHABD M SADDER
EABL ( AMNA MAE BEIFF
ROBERT L SHELLY
CLAY FARM
J ELMER STOLTZFDS
JOHN E COLEMAM JB
ROY E SENSENIG
CURTIS E AKERS ( SOM
DENNIS E TICE
KENNETH E ZUBIN
EDGEFIELD FARMS
ABRAHAM SHELLY JR
VERNON R DNBLE + SON
JOHN N. BURKHOLDER
NARREN Z GOOD
WEA-LAMD FARM
EMPLOYMENT
STRATEGIES
REVISITED
Dale R. Olver
Instructor
Dairy and
Animal Science
The nature of employment
opportunities for graduates of agri
cultural schools is changing rapid
ly. Over the last few decades, there
has been a noticeable shift in the
United States from an industrial
base to a service-oriented
economy.
Likewise, increasing global
competition has forced restructur
ing of many companies to reduce
the number of middle
management employees. Finally,
the largest source of economic
growth in the 1990 s has been
smaller companies.
According to Phil Bucher, assis
tant director of Penn State’s Career
Development and Placement Ser
vice, many of the best jobs avail
able are not even publicly adver
tised. Smaller companies often do
not have large recruiting budgets.
They tend to hire based on refer
rals. As a result, employment
strategies for college graduates
have changed dramatically.
Work Experience
What arc employers looking for
when hiring? Bucher cites a Michi
gan State survey which ranks
relevant wotk experience first in
credentials for employment. These
experiences often take the form of
internships and summer jobs. They
are important because they show
that the candidate has been
exposed to the real work world.
Many Penn State students have
completed agriculture-related
internships over the past few years,
and several have received job
offers because of those
experiences.
One area of work experience
often overlooked by students is
pin
BRD MILK
RHA
FAT
involvement on the family farm. In
fact, some fail to even list this on
their resume. But employers asso
ciate farm experience with respon
sibility and |Jie ability to relate to
an agricultural clientele.
Grade-Point Average
Ranking second in the Michigan
State survey is grade-point aver
age. Solid grades are a good indi
cator that the candidate can master
subject matter easily, and employ
ers use them as a screening
mechanism.
Recruiters from Archer Daniels
Midland and CIBA recently told a
Penn State class that grades were
used to differentiate between close
candidates and that questions
about low grades will be asked in
interviews.
They also stated that junior/
senior grades receive the most
emphasis. Low grades indicate
that the candidate may not have
mastered time management or may
be involved in too many outside
activities. However, lower grades
often can be overcome with posi
tive related work experience.
Bucher recommends that college
students strive to maintain at least
a 3.0 grade-point average.
Ability To
Collaborate
In the changing nature of
employment, one skill that ranks
much higher than before is “ability
to collaborate.” This trait placed
third in the survey of employers.
As the economy shifts to a service
base, working in teams to satisfy
consumers becomes more
important
On many farms, working rela
tionships among producer, veter
inarian, financial institution, and
nutritionist have become routine.
Likewise, in many companies,
teamwork between technical con
sultants and sales staff is essential
for success in solving problems.
How does one show an ability to
collaborate? In the college world.
RHA NO.
PRO CONS
798 63
789 46
782 55
772 53
771 26
767 62
765 54
761 40
758 56
751 55
748 37
745 63
744 75
743 58
742 46
741 260
737 98
733 38
730 92
729 69
727. . 46
724 65
Dale R. Olver
working together in class projects,
debates, and case-decision studies
are good ways to develop this team
approach. A second and more fun
way is to become involved in
undergraduate clubs and judging
teams. These activities demons
trate that members can work
together for a common goal, and
they also offer positive networking
opportunities.
Networking
Networking is critical in search
ing for employment today. Bucher
.states that finding jobs in today’s
world is “like being a private
detective.”
Large companies are no longer
doing the majority of hiring.
Industry contacts made through
clubs, judging teams, volunteer
work, and summer internships
greatly enhance the likelihood that
a student can discover career
opportunities in the smaller com
panies that hire only one or two
employees per year.
Other Traits
Other candidate traits receiving
high priority by employers are
knowledge of total quality, man
agement (TQM), computer litera
cy. and “customer orientation.”
The basis for many of the best
newly available jobs is working
directly with customers, so the
ability to understand their needs
and limitations is critical for suc
cess. That is why employers favor
candidates 'who have experience,
even if it is working in a fast-food
restaurant or a convenience store.
Tliese jobs demonstrate capabili-
STAR POINT DAIRY H
DONALD B TRIMBLE H
J RAY RAMCK H
DAVID K STOLTZFDS H
NEFFDALE FARM H
JOSEPH C WIVELL H
DALE R HEBSHEY H
MELODY LAWM EARNS H
AMOS E STOLTZFDS H
TIMOTHY KURTZ H
HARRY H RAMCK JR H
KEVIN S HORNING H
JOHN K PETERS + SON H
GLENN H WENGER H
SPRING BELLE FARM H
ROBERT KAUFFMAN JR H
VERNON W HEISEY H
ARLIM BENNER H
LAPP VALLEY FARM H
SHELMAR ACRES H
NARREN E BURKHOLDER H
NERVIN S STOLTZFDS H
ROBERT L ( LINDA SENSENIG H
KAT LIN FARM B
GERALD MARTIN H
DAVID J. KDLP H
JOHN 6 GOOD H
WALNUT RUN FARM H
ties to relate to customers and work
in teams.
The representatives from
Archer Daniels Midland and CIB A
also stressed willingness to relo
cate as a primary qualification.
Many of the companies that inter
view at Penn State have few posi
tions available in Pennsylvania,
but they are hiring for slots in New
England and the Midwest. If a can
didate has rigid geographical restr-
Pa.
HARRISBURG, (Dauphin Co.)
The Pennsylvania State Grange
Service Corporation of Harrisburg,
recently announced its endorse
ment of Agri-Service Agencies
Inc. Of Syracuse, N.Y.
Under the terms of the agree
ment, the Pennsylvania State
Grange Service Corporation will
make the products, programs, and
benefits of Agri-Service available
to the more than 33,000 Pennsyl
vania State Grange members.
“This is an outstanding addi
tion to the growing line of ser
vices for Pennsylvania Grangers,”
said State Master Gordon Hiller.
Founded in March of 1987, the
Pennsylvania State Grange Ser
vice Corporation provides various
services to Pennsylvania State
Grange members, including health,
accident and auto insurance,
Pennsylvania Grange Exchange
(food co-op), timber service, and
tool source.
For more than 25 years, Agri-
Service has provided health insur
ance and other employee benefit
programs to dairy farmers and
other small agri-business owners
across the Northeast.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 12, 1994-07
ictions, then chances for employ
ment are greatly hampered.
In summary, the ideal career
opportunities of 20 years ago may
no longer exist However, rapidly
growing sectors of customer- and
service-related careers offer mahy
opportunities for candidates who
have solid academic performance
with relevant work experiences.
Networking is critical in searching
for and locating these positions.
Grange Endorses
Ag Services
“This alliance will provide
Pennsylvania farmers and busi
ness owners greater access to our
many cost-effective group pro
grams,” said Craig Buckhout,
President of Agri-Services Agen
cies Inc. “We are pleased to be
working with the Pennsylvania
State Grange and its Service Cor
poration.”
Agri-Service Agencies, Inc. is
a wholly owned insurance sub
sidiary of Dairylea, a Syracuse
based dairy cooperative with more
than 2,300 member farms through
out the Northeast, that markets
approximately 3.1 billion pounds
of milk annually. Dairylea partici
pates and is invested in a milk
marketing network stretching
from Maine to Maryland to Ohio.
The Pennsylvania State Grange
is a non-profit, rural, family, and
farm organization dedicated to:
improving the quality of rural liv
ing through educational, social
and legislative activity; advancing
the cause of agriculture; develop
ing rural leadership and acting as
a spokesperson in public affairs;
and promoting family life through
family-oriented activities.
October