Recruiting New Staff

Gerbert

Member
Location
Dutch biblebelt
You seem to be under the impression that taxes fund spending. That's largely true in the Eurozone where governments are enslaved to the commercial banks and must collect money in order to spend, not true in the UK as we are a sovereign currency issuer who spends first, and possibly collects later, or not (£1.8tn and counting!)
Good point. However a government cannot simply make up money. So either way you'll pay for, if not before it'll be after.
Tax income may not directly fund spending on paper, but it sure does incentivise it, whatever they say.
 
Location
southwest
I guess this highlights the problem I may be facing, I need a level of experience and skill that really only comes in someone already doing a similar job. There’s little scope to train someone up from scratch.

So if one of your children wanted to follow you into farming, you'd tell them you haven't got time to train them?

IME it's the family members who are more "expensive" to train than the hired help.
 

Salopian_Will

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Shropshire
I guess this highlights the problem I may be facing, I need a level of experience and skill that really only comes in someone already doing a similar job. There’s little scope to train someone up from scratch.

I think you will get some traction from Facebook by putting up a professional looking post and sharing it to some of the sprayer/combine driver groups. Even if you do not recruit directly from it, it will help spread the word locally, which is still probably the best way of recruiting. It doesn't cost anything so nothing to lose?
 

Wheatland

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Shropshire
So if one of your children wanted to follow you into farming, you'd tell them you haven't got time to train them?

Not at all the case, I’ve got an unforeseen need for skilled staff that couldn’t realistically have been planned for. My own children are too young but if they show any interest in the future, they will be encouraged. I genuinely think that farming is a great career that can be well paid.
 

toquark

Member
We work on a 50% retention rate for experienced recruits, less if we're training them up from scratch probably around 25%. We expect and in some ways encourage them to go elsewhere when they're young, one guy has recently come back after spending a few years contracting - frankly he's all the better for it. I take the view that we all pull out of the same labour pool, so the more people in that pool the better, even if its to our detriment at times.

Most recruitment has been through word of mouth, but some through facebook, local press and 4xtra hands.
 

Nearly

Member
Location
North of York
I think you will get some traction from Facebook by putting up a professional looking post and sharing it to some of the sprayer/combine driver groups. Even if you do not recruit directly from it, it will help spread the word locally, which is still probably the best way of recruiting. It doesn't cost anything so nothing to lose?
I haven't hired anyone for 15 years but if you advertise on facebook you get facebook people?
That said I wouldn't advertise on tiktok or TFF ;)
 

Salopian_Will

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Shropshire
I haven't hired anyone for 15 years but if you advertise on facebook you get facebook people?
That said I wouldn't advertise on tiktok or TFF ;)

Yes you get some twerps responding which can easily be weeded out. They usually respond direct to the post with 'Give me a call i can dryve chz M8'. However it will flag with the good local network and may prompt a proper enquiry or referral. I am not far from the OP and while I do not know him personally, I am confident he will find good people locally, given a bit of buzz.
 

kiwi pom

Member
Location
canterbury NZ
In my defence, I do have younger staff members who gradually get more responsibility and training but I have recently had a long standing driver leave due to poor health which has coincided with an unexpected increase in my workload which leaves a skill gap near the top.

Promote one of the young guys, there's a good chance they wont stay if they can't see themselves getting moved up. If they're already on your farm then they should know how you work and what the yearly workload is, they just need to get to grips with the equipment your experienced staff member drove.
Then employ a new entry level to train.
 

Scottish jimmy

Member
Livestock Farmer
When I came out the army, I was working on a farm,I am 33, and very keen, paid for courses of my own back and payed for my cat c +e, there was a massive chicken site I was working on then started to manage it got a few 400 and 420 results, and then when I was done I would help with farming duty’s and I wanted to get more involved with the farm and including learn the financial side of it, I pure my heat and soul it to the job, then for the owner basically to say this is me peak as I wasn’t family, and the sad thing is it happens on most farms, so it hard for us young folk as all we will every be is farm worker nothing more and always keep at an arm distance,
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
When I came out the army, I was working on a farm,I am 33, and very keen, paid for courses of my own back and payed for my cat c +e, there was a massive chicken site I was working on then started to manage it got a few 400 and 420 results, and then when I was done I would help with farming duty’s and I wanted to get more involved with the farm and including learn the financial side of it, I pure my heat and soul it to the job, then for the owner basically to say this is me peak as I wasn’t family, and the sad thing is it happens on most farms, so it hard for us young folk as all we will every be is farm worker nothing more and always keep at an arm distance,

Technically, you're not family unless you marry into them. Are you paid more for your increased level of responsibility?
 

Scottish jimmy

Member
Livestock Farmer
but I wasn’t looking to become family just wanted to learn a little more and build on my skill set and experience, I was on 21k and that was 200k broilers and general machinery work. But your right I need to marry a farmer daughter 🤔🤔🤔
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
but I wasn’t looking to become family just wanted to learn a little more and build on my skill set and experience, I was on 21k and that was 200k broilers and general machinery work. But your right I need to marry a farmer daughter 🤔🤔🤔

You could become a farm manager or foreman. Did you leave? What were the other workers paid? £21k isn't a lot for that level of responsibility
 

Scottish jimmy

Member
Livestock Farmer
Still working there and still giving 110% but just looking for the next opportunity to come along, just as well all know COVID taken a hit on everything and just being grateful I still got a job.
 

Farmer Roy

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
NSW, Newstralya
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SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 80 42.3%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 66 34.9%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 15.9%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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