Staff Reten­tion Strate­gies for Modern Dairy Farms

How do you run a 450-cow dairy farm with a strong team? One French farmer shows how clear plan­ning, smart commu­ni­ca­tion, and better working condi­tions help attract and retain skilled staff—while keeping a human touch.

April 2026

Text: Patrice Gendre
Photos: Studio Des Deux Prairies, Patrice Gendre

It’s diffi­cult to address the issue of employees in agri­cul­ture without consid­ering dairy farming and its on-call duties. According to a recent study by Idèle (formerly the Institut de l’Elevage), the EU has nearly 6,700 large live­stock farms (440 cows on average). These supply 20% of Euro­pean milk produc­tion.

In France, only 6% of the 44,000 dairy farms have 200-300 cows, according to expert Philippe Perrot. Beyond 300 head, the propor­tion drops to 1.8%, comprising fewer than 800 farms.

It was one of these herds that The Furrow visited in October 2025 to meet its manager, Luc Sassel. The Rives d’Or civil agri­cul­tural company is based in the Orne coun­try­side, at La Chapelle d’Andaine, a few miles from Bagnoles-de-l’Orne.

At the age of 35, Luc employs up to 14 people, equiv­a­lent to eight full-time jobs. The farm in La Petite-Hous­saye produces 3.7m litres of milk annu­ally. It does not process its milk on-site; instead, it delivers it to the Fléchard family busi­ness, a local processor that specialises in high-end butter, and to the Gillot cheese dairy, a leading name in Protected Desig­na­tion of Origin Camem­bert. The team’s work is there­fore entirely focused on caring for the live­stock.

Luc Sassel and his wife Amélie stand among their Prim’Holstein dairy cows.

Anything but a factory farm

“My parents, who are orig­i­nally from Luxem­bourg, moved to the region in 2002,” recalls Luc. “Some 15 years later, they had 80 dairy cows on 80ha. Like my brothers and sisters, I went into higher educa­tion, found a job and earned a good living in Paris. In 2018, my wife and I decided to relo­cate to return to my passion for farming.”

Following the merger of three farms, Rives d’Or now has 350 cows and the plan is to increase this to 450 in 2026. This is no factory farm. It sits along­side a small country road and is often crossed by walkers who enjoy seeing up to 200 cows grazing in well-kept paddocks.

A large, well-equipped building with sand bedding, venti­la­tion, a modern calf unit and a brand-new milking shed complete the picture. The surrounding area is immac­u­lately mowed.

Field­work is under­taken by Gautier Frères, an agri­cul­tural contractor based in Mayenne, and the CUMA de l’Aiguillon, a machinery sharing co-oper­a­tive. Their involve­ment helps to control mech­a­ni­sa­tion costs partic­u­larly during drilling or silaging the farm’s 120haof maize.

Luc Sassel discusses milking proce­dures with team members.
Amélie Sassel works in the modern milking parlour that was built in 2020.

Travel broadens the mind

“From my parents, I inher­ited a passion for genetics and a good command of German,” says Luc. “That has enabled me, as an inter­na­tional Prim’Holstein judge, to meet experts from all walks of life.” He remains in regular contact with a German nutri­tionist.

“In France, large herds are gener­ally managed by family part­ners, who employ one or two people” he notes. “Whereas in Northern Europe, the manager is alone but surrounded by a much larger number of employees, which is the case for me. It was abroad that I observed the best prac­tices for quickly recruiting and retaining good staff.”

“I’ve made mistakes and had resig­na­tions, I readily admit that,” concedes Luc. “But now I invest the time and use the right tools, to ensure that our employees feel at home at Rives d’Or, espe­cially the younger ones, because they are sensi­tive about their free time; we have to make sure they have it.”

The team gathers for break­fast after the morning milking, sharing a moment of connec­tion and commu­ni­ca­tion that strengthens collab­o­ra­tion and daily farm organ­i­sa­tion.

Plan­ning a month in advance, and other good ideas …

1. The monthly on-call schedule

This giant board, with its coloured magnets for each team member, requires Luc and his team to spend several hours plan­ning at the start of the month. Each team member, whether in the morning or after­noon, can clearly see their respon­si­bil­i­ties and who they’re going to work with. “This is quite impor­tant,” says Luc, “Of course, we are flex­ible as and when personal constraints arise.”

2. What­sApp groups

The farm has two private What­sApp groups. The first provides the whole team with infor­ma­tion about the farm silage days, new starters, rota updates and general announce­ments. The second is dedi­cated to the milking teams, who report daily collec­tion figures and any issues encoun­tered in the parlour.

3. Clearer job descrip­tions

“I realised how impor­tant detailed job descrip­tions are. When someone leaves us, I know exactly what profile I am going to look for to replace them. A good milker, who is thor­ough and gentle, is hard to replace,” says Luc. “I also insist on punc­tu­ality. Being on time is essen­tial for the cohe­sion of the group… and for the cows, of course.”

4. Faster recruit­ment through social media

Finding staff can take months, even when pay is compet­i­tive. “I short­ened the process by adapting my adver­tise­ments; we use informal language, high­light the atmos­phere and empha­sise the impor­tance of respecting the working week and showing consid­er­a­tion, because no one can know every­thing.”

5. Internal commu­ni­ca­tion

After the first milking, around 9:30am, the team have break­fast together. “It’s not only about work,” notes Luc. “It’s a moment that brings the team together, because everyone can go through a diffi­cult period in their personal life without saying so.” It is also an oppor­tu­nity for the manager to raise any points for improve­ment or, conversely, to high­light successes. Lunch often ends up with sharing meals as well.

6. Paying for respon­si­bility, not just hours

Luc believes pay should reflect skills and respon­si­bility, and that moti­vated employees should earn more than the minimum required. In addi­tion to the legally required hours, each contract clearly sets out the task assigned to the employee and an esti­mate of how long it will take. This clar­i­fi­ca­tion encour­ages and rewards dili­gence at work.

7. External commu­ni­ca­tion

“I update our Face­book page six or seven times a year with photos and news from the farm,” says Luc. “When I’m judging at genetics compe­ti­tions, lots of young people mention they’ve seen it.”

8. Ergonomics and work envi­ron­ment

Milk taxis, light­weight milking clus­ters, rail-mounted feeders, covered calf hutches, sand bedded cubi­cles, well-main­tained surround­ings and staff-only car parking: The list is long. Luc pays close atten­tion to the prac­tical details, ensuring equip­ment is prop­erly adjusted and working condi­tions are as comfort­able as possible.

Luc Sassel reviews the work plan board, ensuring effi­cient coor­di­na­tion across the team.

Team Focus Drives Farm Perfor­mance

At Rives d’Or, every employee is expected to give their best, because “ulti­mately, that’s the goal,” says Luc. That philos­ophy under­pins the deci­sion to invest in a large new milking parlour in 2020 rather than installing robots.

The figures support this people-oriented approach. With employees working between 35 and 42 hours per week, the farm boasts an envi­able gross revenue of €220,000 (£190,000) per full-time equiv­a­lent.

“Stability for the herd, supported by committed employees, is some­thing that appeals to me” admits Luc. The final word goes to Tom Decheppe, one of the team’s most passionate members.

“I’ve done many intern­ships in France, and this is the first time I’ve seen a farm organ­ised like this,” he says. “Knowing my rota and free time a month in advance is crucial for a keen cyclist like me!”