A culture of care

In the day-to-day pressures of agriculture, it can be easy to lose focus on safety. But a decade ago, MFA decided to sharpen that focus.

In 2015, MFA launched SHIELD (Safe Habits Improve Employees’ Lives Daily), a behavior-based program rooted in peer-to-peer accountability and positive reinforcement. Since then, SHIELD has helped redefine what safety looks like for MFA, both in and out of the field.

The program was born from a constant effort to keep employees safe in an often dangerous industry. In the year before SHIELD’s launch, MFA recorded 53 lost-time injuries among its 1,800 employees.

“We had all the programs, all the procedures—but we felt like we could do better,” said Diana McCartney, MFA’s recently retired safety manager, who was instrumental in SHIELD’s creation. “To improve, we had to do something different.”

That “something different” turned out to be a grassroots movement. Inspired by principles of behavior-based safety often used in manufacturing, McCartney and a group of employees set out to build a program that would work in the diverse, fast-paced world of the MFA system. Employees from different departments—drivers, bookkeepers, managers, warehouse staff and others—met to define what safety should look like. Together, they created the SHIELD mission, designed the logo and built the first round of safety checklists, which cover key behaviors and hazards relevant to each job.

“The strength of SHIELD is that it’s built by the people who use it,” said Andy Devine, who succeeded McCartney as MFA safety manager. “It’s not top-down. It’s peer-to-peer. When a conversation happens about safety, it’s between people who know the job and care about each other.”

SHIELD operates through structured, documented safety observations, which employees complete regularly. Conversations are recorded and reviewed by a steering committee of 26 employees from across MFA’s network. Each committee member serves as a mentor for multiple locations, helping their teams understand data, resolve barriers and encourage participation.

The results speak for themselves. Since SHIELD began, MFA employees have logged over 200,000 safety observations and resolved more than 1,000 safety barriers—ranging from updating equipment to workflow improvements. Perhaps more importantly, those conversations have led to a steady decline in both the frequency and severity of injuries. Within the first nine months of implementation, injury-related costs dropped by $900,000.

But the true impact of SHIELD is best captured in the words of those living it.

Billy Robertson, manager of Macon Agri Services and a SHIELD committee member, said the program has had a direct effect on both safety and morale at his location.

“One of the huge things for me is I want my people to go home safe. They’ve got families. That’s the most important thing,” he said. “SHIELD helps us fix things quicker—whether it’s a barrier or a hazard—before somebody gets hurt.”

At all locations, employees are encouraged to complete at least two safety observations each month. Robertson encourages his employees to take part in recording safety conversations and talks with his team regularly about the importance of staying aware.

“It keeps it fresh in their minds,” he explained. “The more we talk about safety, the more it becomes second nature.”

At MFA’s Palmyra Plant Foods facility, Manager Greg Straus echoes that sentiment. “Our employees are our biggest asset,” he said. “They face a lot out in the field—weather, equipment, pressure to get things done. It’s important to have another employee watching their back.”

Straus, who has been with MFA for nearly 30 years and chairs his regional SHIELD committee, has seen firsthand how the program empowers his team.

“It’s helped some of our quieter folks find their voice,” he said. “We’ve had employees who never used to speak up, and now they’re having conversations about safety. It’s made us stronger.”

His location has implemented multiple safety measures in recent years, including fall protection systems, hard hat and high-visibility gear policies and improved warehouse safety protocols. But Straus is just as proud of the cultural changes.

“When employees feel like the company cares about their well-being, it builds trust,” he said. “And when people feel safe, they do better work.”

The SHIELD program continues to evolve. In 2025, MFA transitioned to a new platform that prioritizes quality over quantity in observations. The change has improved the identification of serious injury and fatality risks, allowing for more targeted intervention.

“We’re seeing better conversations, not just more of them,” said Devine. “And that’s where the real change happens.”

Meetings are held every eight weeks in each region, where committee members review local data, discuss trends and develop action plans with employees. These gatherings are typically informal but deeply effective, Devine said. Employees from different locations share insights, discuss checklists and suggest new behaviors or hazards to include. This continuous feedback loop ensures that SHIELD remains relevant and responsive to changing needs.

One such example is a machine-handling checklist added to the program at the suggestion of Jason Schroeter, production supervisor of MFA’s Gerald Feed Mill. The checklist not only made observations more specific but also encouraged more consistent participation among feed mill employees.

“A lot of those items really apply to what we do in the feed mills,” Schroeter explained. “It gives the guys an option to focus on something that pertains directly to them instead of having to try and fit it in a category where it doesn’t make sense.”

Schroeter, who has been with MFA since 2012, said the SHIELD program has definitely shifted the company culture for the better.

“There are more conversations happening now—people are talking about safety more often, even if they’re not always writing it down,” he said. “That alone helps prevent accidents.”

He also mentioned safety barriers that have been overcome, such as new doors installed at Mexico’s feed mill loadout area. At Gerald, common concerns like steam, hot pipes and numerous ladders present safety risks. But with SHIELD, he said, awareness and communication help mitigate those hazards.

“Safety has to be taken seriously,” Schroeter said. “It’s part of the job.”

SHIELD has also become a model for others. During McCartney’s time as safety manager, she frequently spoke at industry conferences, including DEKRA’s Safety in Action events and farm cooperative forums nationwide.

“Other co-ops want to know what we’re doing because it works,” McCartney said. “But the secret is simple—it’s about listening to employees and giving them ownership.”

From Day 1, leadership support has been essential. MFA’s executive team has consistently backed the program, investing in software platforms, consulting support from DEKRA and dedicated training roles like SER (Safety, Environment, and Risk) technicians. These investments have taken the burden off local managers and ensured consistency across locations.

Still, SHIELD’s success ultimately comes down to people. It’s about more than avoiding accidents. It’s about communication, teamwork and care. It’s about building a workplace where employees look out for one another—not because they’re told to, but because they want to.

“It takes leadership, it takes a good team, and it takes passion,” McCartney said. “You can’t control everything, but you can empower people to make safe choices. That’s how you create a safety culture.”   

Check out more stories about safety in the August/September Today's Farmer Magazine.