A new Weidemann for Holling Farm – A decision made by the trainees
Sönke Holling from Osterstedt in Schleswig-Holstein has become Trainer of the Year 2015 Why? because he involves his trainees in all major decisions on the farm – including which wheel loader to buy.
Sönke Holling is a farmer and trainer with passion. He took over the family farm aged 17 and managed it alone for several years, expanding the business and investing not only in material goods, but also in his own training. As a result, he was able to take on his first trainees in 2001. “It’s fun when I can pass on my knowledge. In addition, since then I’ve been able to take every second weekend off. That really is a great luxury”, explains the trainer.
Qualified training at Holling Farm.
In the meantime, the farmer has made a name for himself as a trainer. Three trainee farmers and a trainee dairy herdsman (herd manager) are currently employed on his farm, in addition to a work experience student. “We created the dairy herdsman apprenticeship through an initiative with several other farmers in Schleswig-Holstein and agro prax*”, recalls Sönke Holling. He and his colleagues had observed that plant managers searching for a herd manager were forced to choose between trained farmers and qualified agronomists. The former usually want to deal with crops in addition to the animals, while the latter prefer to manage the business from the office. “With the dairy herdsman apprenticeship, we wanted to close this gap and train top specialists in and around the cowshed.”
Independent working and thinking is required here!
On Holling Farm, the daily routine is discussed each morning at breakfast. The trainees organise themselves and take responsibility for their duties. Such an approach quickly creates confidence and a sense of ownership. In this way, the students learn much more readily and feel comfortable in their work – so comfortable that Sönke Holling has to throw a bigger party each year for his birthday! This is because: Attendance at the boss’s birthday bash is compulsory, even for those who have already completed their training.
Weidemann as a joint project.
An exceptional feature of life on Holling Farm is that the trainees have a real say in pending decisions. When preparing to buy a new wheel loader as a replacement for the old one, the master farmer proceeded systematically – he let his trainees test three different models. maximum protection The Weidemann 5080T impressed them with its appropriate size, low noise level and particularly by the serviceability of the cab. “If you’ve ever had to change a hose on a wheel loader, you become very aware of such things,” laughs Sönke Holling. The Weidemann scored additional points thanks to its distributor, Heeder Landmaschinen GmbH. “I just appreciate honest co-operation and good customer service. At Heeder, it all works very well – we’d already had a positive experience with our little Weidemann 1160". There are now two Weidemanns driving around Holling Farm in Osterstedt. The smaller 1160 is used to put feeding and bedding in the stalls, while its big brother, the 5080T, fills the mixer-wagon and loads the resulting manure. The most important thing is that everyone enjoys driving the new Weidemann, and thanks to their involvement in the decision-making process, they all fully support the decision.
