Starting salary of assistant herdsman

[Beef farmer]

Thanks for the replies, just having a idea of the pay involved.

So have you a job to go to? Or you looking?

 

[Agriimark]

Well it’s 10 hours a day on 12 days and it’s £12.50 an hour, I had lads moaning when they didn’t get enough hours

Id happily work for that without the house, how can i apply [emoji23]

 

[ollie989898]

Maybe fairly soon.

We have a third person really only an apprentice role. Current member started last july never worked on a farm before and older than normal late 20s. Only paid minimum wage no house but told him at recruitment if he wanted i would grow him into the better paid role but it was unlikely be with me.

Today hes told me hes been offered an assistant role and house with appropriate pay and he will be up to the job.

The thing that makes me most proud is we have achieved this in 7 month's and he doesnt really want to leave but the progression and pay plus house will probably make it a no brainer for a young family.

Now to do it all again but the good ones always add to your business no matter how short their stay.

I was not expecting to read anything like this on this thread, what you have done is commendable IMO.

 

[ollie989898]

I hired a herdman who started 3 month ago. He start on about 49.000 including house. Then he will get a bonus thats 10% of extra profit i make, compared to a top 10 percent fraktil of about 1000 farms we benchmark against. So the closer we get to those 10% the more pay he get. There is room for quite a raise.
The first 15% we go up, will cover his pay over a student and the previous result. I hope we will close 50% of the gap in 2 years, and then he is cheap.

Can you tell us about the level of taxation for working people; before you get inundated with job requests from the British!

 

[Serup]

Can you tell us about the level of taxation for working people; before you get inundated with job requests from the British!

A guess is about 35% with an average household. About 50% on the last money made, but all sorts of deductions to lower the total amount.

 

[ollie989898]

A guess is about 35% with an average household. About 50% on the last money made, but all sorts of deductions to lower the total amount.

I could live in your country or Norway or Sweden tomorrow, fantastic place and I think you guys have the right idea and are where the British need to aim to be in 30 years or so.

 

[Serup]

I could live in your country or Norway or Sweden tomorrow, fantastic place and I think you guys have the right idea and are where the British need to aim to be in 30 years or so.

Well everyone like to complain and wish for more, but we are probably okay compared to most.

 

[Grassman247]

Id happily work for that without the house, how can i apply [emoji23]

Send me a CV got more expansion coming up shortly so always looking for honest reliable people [emoji1303] age nor experience a problem attitude is key!

 

[Dead Rabbits]

60 hours a week, 12 on 2 off with holidays aswell obviously, they are salary based but payed by the hour so if we are busy and they work more hours they get paid and if they are late in a morning I don’t have to say anything because they aren’t getting paid until they clock in on the machine, saves me moaning at them and is fair all round

The space between days off really kills it for me. I would have to think a long time before taking a position that involved that. 7 on 2 off here and that’s really pushing it in my opinion. We are looking at 1-3% unemployment in this area and I just can’t see being competitive with that schedule.

But if it works for you and the people like it then more power to ya.

 

[New Holland TM150]

So have you a job to go to? Or you looking?

There could be a job going at the end of summer, not sure yet.
Wandering what the salary would be to start with and so on.
A lot can happen before the end of summer.

 

[Grassman247]

The space between days off really kills it for me. I would have to think a long time before taking a position that involved that. 7 on 2 off here and that’s really pushing it in my opinion. We are looking at 1-3% unemployment in this area and I just can’t see being competitive with that schedule.

But if it works for you and the people like it then more power to ya.

I’d prefer to get onto a system like that but when we tried the guys with family’s wanted those weekends so they could spend it with the kids

Difficult to know which way to go with it, i did think with there being 10 proper working days in the 2 weeks there’s room for everyone to have an extra day off

We also do yearly pay rises every year whatever the milk price is.

I’d be interested to know what other Rota’s people are using

 

[Milkcow365]

I’d prefer to get onto a system like that but when we tried the guys with family’s wanted those weekends so they could spend it with the kids

Difficult to know which way to go with it, i did think with there being 10 proper working days in the 2 weeks there’s room for everyone to have an extra day off

We also do yearly pay rises every year whatever the milk price is.

I’d be interested to know what other Rota’s people are using

So I’ve put everyone on hourly rate or the self employed are on by the milking I make a rota up at the start of each month and ask everyone what days off they want, I used to just do the 12 on 2 off, but the way we do it now seems to suit for instance the apprentice wants to make plenty of money but likes going out every Saturday night, so he gets every Sunday off but works most Saturdays.The older people are happy getting every Saturday off and any other days they want but it’s differnt each month and from my point of view the more you work the more you earn. Seems to work well for me and them.

 

[frederick]

I’d prefer to get onto a system like that but when we tried the guys with family’s wanted those weekends so they could spend it with the kids

Difficult to know which way to go with it, i did think with there being 10 proper working days in the 2 weeks there’s room for everyone to have an extra day off

We also do yearly pay rises every year whatever the milk price is.

I’d be interested to know what other Rota’s people are using

We are currently 12 and 2 but think the weekday isnt far away. However we have the relief in tues and wednesday so nobody milks more than 8 days a fortnight
Which leaves 2 days a week to keep on top of feet drying off keeping calving going smoothly etc without the pressure of milking as well.

 

[Serup]

We have a meeting every 6-8 month where we evaluate the system. I have 4 milkers and 4 slots every day (they milk 2 together morning and evening). So they have 14 milkings in 2 weeks. We have a 5th to cover on holiday and sick days. So far they want as few days with 2 milkings as possible, so we also do 12 and 2. They can have 4 days off in 2 weeks if they want, the work is the same. So far no one want that.
It’s much easier to plan and have satistied staff when they can decide by them self. My only demand is that they reach a united conclusion. I always tell them what system we will have if i decide, but that if they agree on it, they can have whatever system they want.

 

[Beef farmer]

10 Day fortnight. every other week end and 1 day a week.

 

[Milkcow365]

10 Day fortnight. every other week end and 1 day a week.

Do you pay salary or hourly?

 

[Beef farmer]

Do you pay salary or hourly?

Dependant on employee

 

[multi power]

I’d prefer to get onto a system like that but when we tried the guys with family’s wanted those weekends so they could spend it with the kids

Difficult to know which way to go with it, i did think with there being 10 proper working days in the 2 weeks there’s room for everyone to have an extra day off

We also do yearly pay rises every year whatever the milk price is.

I’d be interested to know what other Rota’s people are using

I've done 12/2 with a afternoon off after the weekend worked, probably my favourite rota system
Done 8/2 and that was good
8/3 sounded good but I hated it because every day was the same, ie weekend was just normal working day, off thurs, Fri,sat and back to work on Sunday was a pig of a thing
Working every day except days I want to be off to do something else is great, but hard to organise