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Jdunn55

Member
I'm in the process of redoing budgets and cashflows taking into account the price rises. Ive been warned by my dad that after this year he doesn't want to be doing farm work on a day to day basis (deteriorating health from years of abuse when he milked). The suckler cows will be going in the autumn and the ewes being dropped over the summer/autumn with the exception of a few pets (maybe 20-30 ewes).
I've coped up until now because I've had dad to help me when I need a second pair of hands (eg: dehorning).
The plan at the moment is to use dads farm to rear youngstock and grow silage + corn for the milkers which will obviously be kept here.

I'm going to need a second pair of hands in order to cope next year, so a few questions:
What do I advertise for? I see so many job titles now and wonder what is really involved with each one (general farm worker, assistant herdsman, etc). I would like someone who would milk maybe 3-5 times a week and be happy to do general yard work (scraping up, feeding heifers etc) but also jump in a tractor when needed.

How many hours per week is normal? And what hours/days? Was thinking 4 days a week plus a weekend milking? 8 hour days (plus an hour for lunch) and 4 hours(?) On the weekend?
Salary vs hourly? What's a fair amount to offer either per hour or on a salary? I would have to talk to dad but there is a possibility of a 2 bedroom cottage to come with the job (this would be at dads farm not mine) but I would obviously have to pay the rent on it.

Then finally how do I make it attractive to people and so when I do find someone they enjoy coming here and don't want to go elsewhere? I'm not completely awful but I'm sure there will be areas I could make life easier/better for them to make it more enjoyable
Thanks
 

jondear

Member
Location
Devon
If it helps don't be a miserable bugger .It doesn't take long for everyone to know of a reputation and nobody will take a job .All you will get is foreign applicants .Edit not that some aren't great !Just not suitable employees!
 
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Fendt516profi

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Yorkshire
Id say General Farm worker, and then put a good description of the jobs you require them to do. Find out for sure then put possibility of 2 bedroom cottage on site if required
 

Rossymons

Member
Location
Cornwall
Rent it out, take the money and do it the easy way for once.

You strike me as a bit of a control freak around your cows as well. You might not be the easiest person to work for especially in stressful times which you've had your fair share of. The last thing you should do is scale up the business to be reliant on staff and then the staff disappear.
 

Jdunn55

Member
I should also add, things seem to be turning around now. The cows are performing fantastically well, I'm in the middle of service and so far so good. The calves seem to have recovered and are growing really well now.
Not to mention I'm feeling much happier than I was a couple of months ago.

This year was always going to be the year I get the farm how I want it, for instance:
- the entire farm will be fenced and secure by the end of summer,
- I will have a full system of cow tracks before the autumn,
- All fields will have water troughs over the next few months
- I have a heat detection system being installed in September
- I will be block calving properly next year
- I *hopefully* will have calf hutches ready to go before the autumn calving cows start
- I will have a shed kitted out properly for calving,
- The yard will be secured with gates
- I will be doinf self-feed silage this winter,
- New roof going on the traditional buildings so they are water tight
- top yard being concreted to reduce the amount of slurry produced (will be diverted to river as it will then be clean water)
- shed having drains installed so that it is useable
- New dirty water pump
- electrics being renewed (currently causing problems and not safe)
- most of my reseeding will be completed this year (2/3 of the farm will have been done by the end of this year)

I could go on, the point is I will be in a much better position by the end of this year. Its far from perfect right now but things are getting there and I can see life next year being a lot easier
 

Milkcow365

Member
Location
Sw Scotland
I should also add, things seem to be turning around now. The cows are performing fantastically well, I'm in the middle of service and so far so good. The calves seem to have recovered and are growing really well now.
Not to mention I'm feeling much happier than I was a couple of months ago.

This year was always going to be the year I get the farm how I want it, for instance:
- the entire farm will be fenced and secure by the end of summer,
- I will have a full system of cow tracks before the autumn,
- All fields will have water troughs over the next few months
- I have a heat detection system being installed in September
- I will be block calving properly next year
- I *hopefully* will have calf hutches ready to go before the autumn calving cows start
- I will have a shed kitted out properly for calving,
- The yard will be secured with gates
- I will be doinf self-feed silage this winter,
- New roof going on the traditional buildings so they are water tight
- top yard being concreted to reduce the amount of slurry produced (will be diverted to river as it will then be clean water)
- shed having drains installed so that it is useable
- New dirty water pump
- electrics being renewed (currently causing problems and not safe)
- most of my reseeding will be completed this year (2/3 of the farm will have been done by the end of this year)

I could go on, the point is I will be in a much better position by the end of this year. Its far from perfect right now but things are getting there and I can see life next year being a lot easier
Main thing is your up and down like a yo-yo like most of us. But you can’t really show this to people who work for you as they need you to be there constant and need to have faith in you even if you don’t have faith in yourself sometimes.
 

Tim G

Member
Livestock Farmer
I'll go against the grain and say do it!
You've said you struggled to justify full time help and it sounds like this means you can. The right person will be a real boost, give you a break, be a fresh set of eyes, and different view point, be able to encourage you, be able to bring you back to reality.
The wrong person will be a pain in the jacksy, so don't get it wrong!
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
I'll go against the grain and say do it!
You've said you struggled to justify full time help and it sounds like this means you can. The right person will be a real boost, give you a break, be a fresh set of eyes, and different view point, be able to encourage you, be able to bring you back to reality.
The wrong person will be a pain in the jacksy, so don't get it wrong!
right blokes are like hens teeth
how did your last 'helper' sort out in the end ?
 

Happy at it

Member
Location
NI
For the amount of time/money/hassle/effort you've put into a rented place I'd be thinking the first person to take a draw out of it, should be you.. .
 

Tim G

Member
Livestock Farmer
right blokes are like hens teeth
how did your last 'helper' sort out in the end ?
The right 'people' certainly are hard to find, not just blokes.........
The last one walked after nearly two years of being a good help and four months of being a real hindrance. Took another job (non farming) which meant not wanting to milk for us. The frustrating thing was that we knew something was up, since before Christmas, and kept asking if there was a problem or something we could do. It all got shrugged off until the unreliability started and after a few months of that I'd had enough and glad to see her gone, sadly.
 

upnortheast

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Northumberland
Well done for getting that big list of projects sorted
After a year like that I still think it`s a good idea to have a year to draw breath, fine tune the changes you have made, No idea of your finances but good idea to improve your cash situation & most importantly, see if you can find the right person to help you through the next expansion.
 

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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“

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