Going rates for farm staff?

[Jack321]

How profitable is your business Jack? Could the business even afford full time paid labour? How would you feel paying someone more than you get paid yourself? Especially when they rung in sick on the only day out you had organised in months. Maybe the question you should be asking is, "Should I retire at the same time as my brother?"

The buisness is profitable. Simple system, milking 180 - 200 cows. 2 men. I'm only 54 so not ready to retire yet. Yes them ringing in sick on my day off would be annoying, I'd just ring my retired brother

50 hrs a week and just working for you probably wouldn’t get through as being self employed. Employed they will get paid holiday, pension + employer’s contribution so will be better off and your more likely to find someone. No idea of housing where you are but you may have to look into renting something for them. There are farms doing that down here.

Bg

Yes renting somewhere for someone could be an option but I'd rather just pay someone local an honest wage.

 

[Jack321]

35k no house
Even at minimum wage doing 50hrs a week is 33k
standard
11.44 x 40hrs £457.6
Over time time and a half
17.16 x 10 hrs £171.6

total £626.20 a week
£ 32,718.4 per year plus pension plus28 days holiday

Thanks for that. 32k minimum wage for someone like Niel of the Inbetweeners Inflation has fairly ramped things up hasn't it.

 

[Jack321]

You own the business or do you not have a capital account?

Yes 50%.

 

[BRB John]

Is that employed or self employed? My Kids aren't old enough to work yet unfortunately

That's employed. They can't be self employed working 50hrs a week with you HMRC will see straight through that sh!t.
How many years until they are? Could be an expensive few years....
Or just look at where you can reduce labour.
Maybe robots?

Edited plus is your brother going to be taking a wage from his share of the farm? 50% rent would probably come to quite a decent amount?

 

[Fendt516profi]

That's employed. They can't be self employed working 50hrs a week with you HMRC will see straight through that sh!t.
How many years until they are? Could be an expensive few years....
Or just look at where you can reduce labour.
Maybe robots?

It's only 2½ days work surely can claim self employed by working 4½ days elsewhere

 

[Jack321]

That's employed. They can't be self employed working 50hrs a week with you HMRC will see straight through that sh!t.
How many years until they are? Could be an expensive few years....
Or just look at where you can reduce labour.
Maybe robots?

Atleast 10 years until they finish education and they might decide to do something else. No robots put a new parlour in 5 years ago, wouldn't suit our grazing system.

 

[Martyn]

I think wage depends on so many things, for example are you expecting them to turn up and slog their guts out until they leave that evening or are they part of a team that may go to events/farm walks/vet meeting's/discussion group etc within their day with you.

 

[Jack321]

I just hope there's some young farmers out there reading TFF and hopefully opening their eyes to the dangers.
Even if we have saved one young farmer from the trap of the golden promise then surely all our ranting and moaning has been worth it?...

Anywho I think the answer is start at £18/HR if you don't get any replies increase it too £20 and if you can't afford that then maybe ask yourself is it really worth it then?
Maybe a job in McDonald's would be better?

I think wage depends on so many things, for example are you expecting them to turn up and slog their guts out until they leave that evening or are they part of a team that may go to events/farm walks/vet meeting's/discussion group etc within their day with you.

Events on a evening maybe but not through the day. Got work to getting on with, the day is short enough!

 

[Bald Rick]

If they are full time they should be employed and you may struggle to get someone to do those hours with no accommodation. I would have thought at least £34k. Don't forget you have to pay a pension too.

Pension is voluntary but you have to offer one and pay in a minimum of 3% as an employer

 

[Bald Rick]

How much would a pension contribution be?

Minimum 3% with employee putting in 5% but we’ve reversed that as a perk

 

[Goggles]

Just to put the cat amongst the pigeons…..
If I was to be dropped in to this job( which sounds great), pick up where your brother leaves off, help to maintain yield/improve yield with new and improved ideas taken from the successful dairy farm I’ve come from. Drive tractors to a high standard, work long hours when required with no accommodation offered( initially),
I’d want £48k…..

 

[frederick]

I have a 17 year old working away from home at the moment. He's going to be looking at bringing in nearly 30k living in a caravan with all bills paid.

Got to think that someone's rent is 12k a year so they need to earn 15k to simply cover that.
Any reliable person that has responsibility working on a farm without a house has to be heading towards 40k.
A package of 25k plus house and bills would be closer to 50k once tax was taken into account.

 

[pappuller]

I pay myself £300 a week but I've no mortgage on farm house and my truck are paid is for by the buisness.

sooo is your leccy/gas/water/fuel/phone/broadband/ paid from the business or out of your £300 ?

 

[puppet]

At 50 hours presume they only have every 2nd weekend off. What happens when you are away? Definitely employed at those hours. Can you not find someone to just do some milking shifts to ease the burden and reduce their contracted hours and therefore overtime. Big dairies round here have moved to 8 hour shifts to make the job more attractive, some with a small hamlet of chalets on site now.
Taking £300 a week is not enough for the hours you are doing, even if truck and house are worth another £1000 a month. We take more from a smaller suckler herd. Maybe you dairy farmers don't make as much as we others think?

 

[ollie989898]

Thread has taken an unusual turn, very different from what I would have previously expected from TFF. In earlier time I would have expected replies to the tune of: a 1 wheeled caravan for free, plus a dog that normally lives in it daily wage 1 packet of wotsits with a weekly attendance bonus of 1 red bull on a Friday afternoon.

 

[Frodo]

I think wage depends on so many things, for example are you expecting them to turn up and slog their guts out until they leave that evening or are they part of a team that may go to events/farm walks/vet meeting'/discussion group etc within their day with you.

Which would you expect to pay more? The grafter paid from the neck down , or the one providing management input?

 

[kiwi pom]

THIS IS NOT A JOB ADVERT, ADVICE NEEDED!

My brother is set to retire this year so I'm starting to look at taking someone on full-time (50hrs a week). Ideally whom is experienced and competent, for a general mixture of dairy farm work; Alone milking, tractor driving, calf rearing etc. No accommodation or extra perks included. What can I expect to pay someone in 2024? Bearing in mind the minimum wage is set to increase to £11.44 in April.

Employed or Self Employed?

Northern England

Thanks in advance

First thing, figure out how many hours a week you actually need someone for. Was your brother doing 50 hours minus meal breaks.
You might get away with self-employed but remember it's you as the employer who gets done if caught, not the worker.
Advertise and see what you can get for the lowest rate, you don't have to pay an overtime rate I don't think, just a flat rate if you can get away with it, minimum wage is lower for young people in the UK for some reason, might be able to save a quid there.
Would you be better with 2 or 3 casuals instead of one fulltime, as they could more easily provide 7-day cover.

It's unlikely anyone on here will tell you what they pay, so you'll just have to see what you can get.
If they are employed, you really need an employment contract but again plenty get away without them.

 

[Blue.]

Even on £52k where are these magical staff members?

None around here.

Talking with my accountant during the week and he said they can’t get staff,if they do get someone they leave in a few weeks or only want a few hours.

 

[Sheepykid]

I am the only one who thinks £1k in wages a week in farming is a bit unachievable. Even on a dairy farm. Even for you guys that say you produce milk for tuppence a litre.
Several farmers I know locally that employ lots of people and none of them would be anywhere near that! I admit it’s a great aspiration to have but hardly viable I’d think. Maybe I’m a crap farmer or just too tight. Or worst still both of the above.

 

[suffolksmallholder]

I have read this thread with absolute horror!
50 hour week for F-all it seems.
No wonder British Farming needs to get a grip of the situation and the NFU and Red Tractor.
I have no remedies though except BFU fighting a corner and you lot as food suppliers lowering your production levels rather than being told what to do by the above
My family got out of dairying in the 70’s and never looked back.
SS