A New Approach to Stock Ownership

In its January 31 issue, the Western Farm Press raises an all-too-common issue: "One of the complaints that dairy owners often have about employees is ... they don't take ownership in the operation. Yet, should we be surprised when employees don't take ownership in a business in which they have no ownership?" Just as we at the NCEO might do, the article's author Phil Durst suggests that employees at dairy farms ought to own stock. In this case, however, he is thinking of a different meaning of the word stock: head of cattle. Citing the example of Willow Bend Farm in Clifton Springs, NY, Durst writes, "For more than 30 years, Willow Bend founder George Mueller, and now son John Mueller, have encouraged employees to own cattle in the herd." He notes that employees are able to build assets and receive some tax benefits. Employee Tucker Coryn owns 10 head of cattle. He says, "I have a vested interest in the health of the herd, in the success of the herd. It engages me more than coming to work to manage someone else's cows."