RT Coping Strategies

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
I have decided to delegate it to the Mrs. so that I can get on with stuff that really is urgent. It feels like weight lifted and she has time and aptitude for it.
Is it getting to the point where it would be more cost effective to pay a clerk to deal with it than have to Wade through it yourself?
Maybe some completely integrated information management package would also work but these always seem to end up taking a lot of time and money in themselves.
Corporate businesses can probably absorb the admin without too much trouble but for one man bands it’s a bit of burden.
Is there scope for somebody to go round sorting it out for people in the same way that accounts clerks work?
 

JSmith

Member
Livestock Farmer
I’ve done exactly the same, she’s a lot more patient than I am, also she has worked for social care for many years before the unfortunate event of meeting me, so is use to dealing with similar tick box bôllocks!!! It’s good to delegate!!
 

Bury the Trash

Member
Mixed Farmer
Good idea but on our sized business it wouldn't pay better (no where near) than what she does outside in her day job(s),even if combined with other paperwork.

:unsure:
 

7610 super q

Never Forgotten
Honorary Member
Yes, but at what cost ? Farming earns £5 / hour, bring in admin at £100/ hour ? Might as well grow less crops and put the time to pointless form filling.
It's such a variation in this industry though from 200 acre farms ( Google UK farm average size ) to 3000 acre enterprises who can employ office staff, yet we all have the same amount of paperwork.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
My Mrs is retired from her full time job so enjoys that sort of admin work, spreadsheets etc.
I just find it too tedious when there are jobs to be done.
I use QBooks for the monthly VAT accounts. But TBH with the time it took it me to set it up and the time needed to “maintain” it as well as the cost I’d have been better putting the invoices in a biscuit tin and leaving it to fast clerk, as my dead stock collection man warned me at the outset.
I am not talking about employing folks on £100 per hour, more like £12, secretarial/clerks. It’s not difficult or requires huge intellect, it’s just tedious and there is more and more of it, but not really enough to justify in house specialist computing packages.
 

Bury the Trash

Member
Mixed Farmer
Yes, but at what cost ? Farming earns £5 / hour, bring in admin at £100/ hour ? Might as well grow less crops and put the time to pointless form filling.
It's such a variation in this industry though from 200 acre farms ( Google UK farm average size ) to 3000 acre enterprises who can employ office staff, yet we all have the same amount of paperwork.
if i pay a clerk, a mechanic and an agronomist and an elms advisor ,im not sure theres going to be anything left at all :sick:
 
We only have a tiny area of arable on 2 farms. We pay a very nice lady from Frontier to come once a year and sort everything out on our behalf. She explains all the latest rules and ensures we are compliant. A fortnight later we are presented with a beautiful bundle of professional documents suitable for RT, the ministry and the environment agency. Its not a lot of money and worth every penny.

I bet all the other firms offer this service to any other farmer who knows his limits....
 

Jackov Altraids

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
It would be the obvious way forward if it were financially viable and know some larger farmers who already do it.
I would love to answer a call asking for an inspection and simply reply,"please contact my compliance officer to make any necessary arrangements".
It does highlight the absurdity of having lots of pen pushers being paid to talk to each other, achieving very little while those paying for it try to get on with producing something of worth.
 

Rookie

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincs / Notts
What annoys me is that all these inspectors whether it be Red tractor, RPA, Vat, EA etc have all been trained in their specific area.
We however are meant to know all there is about each of these specific areas without any training and get it correct or are penalised.
This is on top of trying to do your primary activity of farming.
Talk about having to be a 'Jack of all trades!'.
 

Yale

Member
Livestock Farmer
What annoys me is that all these inspectors whether it be Red tractor, RPA, Vat, EA etc have all been trained in their specific area.
We however are meant to know all there is about each of these specific areas without any training and get it correct or are penalised.
This is on top of trying to do your primary activity of farming.
Talk about having to be a 'Jack of all trades!'.
Feels a bit like this.

1626345622946.gif
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
It makes you think though. I can spray an acre a minute with my sprayer. That’s £4 per minute or £240 per hour.
Transcribing my completed agronomy tickets onto field records earns me nothing but has to be done.
Repairing the tractor over 5 days can give a £5k uplift in value.
Filling in the NVZ plan and records adds nothing. It’s all in my notebook but needs transcribing and tarting up.
We make the assumption we personally have to deal with all this bureaucracy but in reality in brings in nothing and eats into time for much higher value work.
It’s made me think anyway.
 

toquark

Member
I know its not as easy for the arable folks on here, but surely the most effective coping strategy would be to come out of it?

We recently left the FSC certification scheme at work (forest certification, but v. similar to RT) on the basis that the price premium received simply wasn't worth the time input.

In a global context, the industry is already very highly regulated by statutory bodies. The case should be made that we don't need any more levels of certification. But I accept that expecting the NFU to do that is about as likely as pigs voting to ban sh*te.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 77 43.5%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 62 35.0%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 28 15.8%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.3%

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

  • 1,285
  • 1
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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