I know its like asking 'how long is a piece of string' but what is the average that everyone is paying now for relief milkers? Per milking ... per hour .. per cow . per time of day... depending on responsibilities ..the options are endless but just want to get a feel of it.
relief staff wages?
- Thread starter glow worm
- Start date
- Location
- Fife
I charged £15/hr for milking and wash down (monday-friday). Weekends were £20/hr.
jimmer
Member
- Location
- East Devon
I was mulling this over a bit back
If I was a relief milker I would want minimum £50 a shift for up to 2.5 hours, then either hourly rate or pence per cow depending on which was most appropriate
Something like £20/hr or 15p/cow depending on the farm
If I was a relief milker I would want minimum £50 a shift for up to 2.5 hours, then either hourly rate or pence per cow depending on which was most appropriate
Something like £20/hr or 15p/cow depending on the farm
Jdunn55
Member
- Location
- Helston, cornwall
I was paying £25 a milking for someone who was already here working during the day, maximum 1 hour 15 minutes to milk at the time (milking 70 and I was taking an hour total including wash down) and that was from the time the first cups went on to when the plate cooler got drained (getting cows in or letting them out etc was paid extra) but got told on here that wasn't enough so will be putting it up to £40 an hour from February 1st
Cows 'n grass
Member
- Location
- Modbury, South Devon
Sorry but paying someone £40/hr to milk is nuts. Even if they were spotting bullers/lames and serving and foot trimming I couldn't justify £40/hr.
If they're doing more than 10 hours a week you're better off with someone full-time.
Jdunn55
Member
- Location
- Helston, cornwall
Sorry that should have said per milking not per hour, still only be an hour and a half max (probably closer to an hour) actually milking though but theyll have to bring them in themselves and during the day they tend to be across the road so takes half an hour usually, meaning at worst case scenario they'll be on £20 an hour but probably more, I will expect them to sort cows for me to serve and also spot bullers for me as well.
Is it worth getting them to be insured for if they accidentally put antibiotics in the tank?
Martyn
Member
- Location
- South west
Iv trained up a local lady over the last three months, never milked before, works doing accounts for vet practice, started on £10 learning now £15 fully independent, she can see the farm from where she lives so not bad taking £45 for few evening hours after work.
Thanks everyone. Lots of food for thought. Trouble is, just like when everyone went mad buying expensive quota when the single farm payment was paid, now the milk price has at last moved up a tad, reliefs think now is the time to push for wage increases and whilst I can understand that, I also think about the cost of fertiliser and feed and wonder what the **** to do about it.
Homesy
Member
- Location
- North West Devon
So if you had to get up at 5, drive to a farm, milk cows and drive home how much would you want to do it ?
I see where your coming from but some times people don't need full time or not all the time, it's just milking time when things are busy or with they want time off.
Jdunn55
Member
- Location
- Helston, cornwall
The other thing to ask is how diffult are you to work for?
I'm an absolute nightmare to work for because the cows are my babies and I expect everyone to treat them like I do, I am also really fussy about the condition of the parlour and things being done properly, I hate laziness and it pisses me off.
Therefore I have to pay more, if you can put up with them leaving their used gloves on the parlour step for you to throw away for example and don't mind the odd slower cow not being milked out because they were in a rush or them being 15 minutes late every time then you can probably pay less, I don't mind the late part but I can't stand the other 2 and I will tell you off if you do either of them
I'm an absolute nightmare to work for because the cows are my babies and I expect everyone to treat them like I do, I am also really fussy about the condition of the parlour and things being done properly, I hate laziness and it pisses me off.
Therefore I have to pay more, if you can put up with them leaving their used gloves on the parlour step for you to throw away for example and don't mind the odd slower cow not being milked out because they were in a rush or them being 15 minutes late every time then you can probably pay less, I don't mind the late part but I can't stand the other 2 and I will tell you off if you do either of them
You will mellow
Cows 'n grass
Member
- Location
- Modbury, South Devon
It's not relevant what I'd do it for but if I was paying £40/hr for milking then I wouldn't be here next year. There's no doubt that wages are on the rise but there's not enough money in the job to be paying that unless it was a 1hr milking.
I pay what I think is an acceptable rate with a minimum 3hr billing time.
Holsteinfriesian90
Member
- Location
- Cornwall
What I don’t understand is how can someone pay £40 a hour for milking and the person turns up with a flask of coffee and a kitkat but for pulling silage trailers it’s £30-35 a hour and a person turns up with a 100 grand tractor and a 20 grand silage trailer.
it just doesn’t add up.Jdunn55
Member
- Location
- Helston, cornwall
Agreed, especially when you consider the risk, with milking the worst you can do is put antibiotics in the tank, pulling 14t overloaded trailers around at 50k, doesn't take a lot for something to go wrong and someone to be dead!What I don’t understand is how can someone pay £40 a hour for milking and the person turns up with a flask of coffee and a kitkat but for pulling silage trailers it’s £30-35 a hour and a person turns up with a 100 grand tractor and a 20 grand silage trailer.
Not if you love your cows you wont
betweenthelines
Member
- Location
- southwest
Think you've both missed the point- a decent herd of cows is worth farm more than any tractor and trailer.
And who do you pay more, your tractor driver or your herdsman?
- Location
- 200 miles N,NW of New York
Aye and there is plenty or Wayne's and Johnny's about to drive flash tractors.
And they all want to pull tits as long as they come in pairs, .
Thin on the ground are good part time milkers for odd days for dairy farms,
Usually the good ones a booked up months in advance, and we'll there are others