When a farm gets as big as MacFarlane Pheasants, communication can’t be ignored. That’s why we use several ways to keep in contact with each other. Between email, phones, and radios, our departments are able to keep in contact with me and each other so that we’re running as efficiently as possible.
Email is key in the business world, and it’s one of the main ways we keep in contact throughout the farm. It’s even more important when it comes to shipping our pheasants. Orders need a lot of paperwork from several departments, and email helps us keep everything ordered. If you’ve gotten your birds from us on time and as ordered, it’s because of the great email communication our staff has behind the scenes.
We also use radios to talk back and forth. They’ve been in use on the farm for more than 20 years now, and they’re great when our farm workers aren’t able to access email while doing rounds. Whether they’re feeding, watering, or catching, radios let us get in touch with farm workers if we need to. They’re also great in case of farm emergencies. There are a few protocols we use, including closing with “10/4.” I’d encourage you to develop a set of your own. They’re important again because they keep communication clear.
Finally, all our managers have cell phones. We started this manager-only policy in July of this year. This is great in case the first two methods of communication aren’t working, or if we need a manager to relay a family emergency to an employee. They offer privacy for a delicate situation.
The majority of our communication is over radio and by email, and with a backup of our managers’ cell phones, we’re able to keep the whole of MacFarlane Pheasants on the same page. It’s what works for us.
