Working hours.

[DairyGrazing]

Ive been looking at our labour bill. It's under budget but I still don't think we are getting great value for money. I think we're using and paying relief too much. Meaning we don't have enough people during the day so we're stretched and find ourselves rushing.

There's only really the herdsman and me who are full time. He have every other weekend off and a day a fortnight but never stays past 6pm.

I have every other weekend off and I cover all holidays. I also do all my paper work in the evenings. I also work late and weekends off when we are mowing, fert spreading combining etc. It sometimes takes me all day Saturday to recover.

It means I work 60 hrs ish one week and 74 hrs the other.

I'm trying to get to a 60 hr week. When I talk to my father or consultant their line is well you have to pay your dues when your young!

I just think we shouldn't be subsidising a profitable business.

Has anyone restructured their labour after being in a similar situation? Or broken away from the every other weekend off model? I like 5-2 where you have fri sat off one week and sun mon off the next. Just relies on you doing your big jobs tues-thurs.

 

[lazy farmer]

its an interesting question.One I have struggled with too.
would be interesting to know what sort of system you run and how many cows you milk?
here we milk 280 with 2 full time labour units and about a .25 of a unit part time.
For me its all about the system, process and at what point do I think that I am losing either in lost income or in extra cost the equilivent of 30k or an extra labour unit.
according to the CFP form we use we are currently working 18.2hrs per LU at a cost of 4.81p a litre that's both paid and unpaided labour.The chap working with us likes to start early so I don't like him here after 6pm . in effect at our busiest times he is doing a 13hr day with 2.5hrs off during that day 12 on 2 off. I will do 16hr days for 8 weeks.
But it is only for 8 weeks. the only field work we will do is fert from mid april onwards,spiking a bit of pre mowing and we will haul a few bales if time allow. I do feet trimming but I haven't got the time for AI so I buy that skill in and I only do bulling observation as cows exit the field. and when not being served cows bring themselves home in the mornings reducing the working day. As from last week I now have some help in the office just a few hours a month but it should be a big help in keeping my evenings work free for 44 weeks a year.
There's no doubt our system has pinch points and moments when I am fried but they haven't yet lead me to believe I am costing my business 30 k a year and I do still have enough energy after work to have outside interests
.
Unless you are in a financial position such building capital to expand or paying down debt quickly I do not agree with over working when your young as bad decisions are made that way. Especially if you have a young family they need you too. I would look at your processes to see if they are the best way of using your valuable time.
such as calf feeding it only needs to be OAD are your dry cows fed in the evenings allowing not to have to check them late on? heat detection aids of what ever cost will shorten your day.
I expect you know all those and many more already if then you still feel stressed then consider either contracting out some of the kit based jobs you or employ some extra help.
I'm not sure that waffle was any help sorry!
lazy

 

[stablegirl]

We have everyother weekend off and i like it, works for me, i dont want to take my head out if the job every week if you see what i mean.

That said i typically do 65 hours a week average. But in busy times when u do extra i find myself less productive and avoiding tough jobs towards the end of my 12 days on.

The whole paying your dues when your young attitude is rubbish and one of the reasons we are so short of young people in the industry, you need to make it work for you!

 

[pappuller]

Since we put the robots in my day is 6 til 6 for 5 days but many of those 5 days I'll work only 6 hrs usually at each end. Weekends usually 5 or 6 hrs a day, wife will do an hour a day on calves and a part time help who does 6 hours a week spread over 3 or 4 early mornings. Spread all fert and spring work approx 300 acres mowing and tedding a season, two foreign beach holidays a year and days away as allow, we live on farm so it allows us much time with the kids, dont know if my labour usage is high but never any rush. 180 cows no followers, would have needed a releif milker for about 4 milkings a week in the parlour.we are only here once and there are many busy fools around.

 

[Beef farmer]

The op, get contractors to do the tractor work. You then have a more simple life.

 

[Stinker]

Every other weekend here and a day of in the week for all hired staff. Weekends are miserable and there are too many people in in the week most days. More part time and less full time would be the answer but you try finding good relief workers. I would like to implement a 12 days on 3 days off but staff won't hear of it.

 

[thewalrus]

The whole paying your dues when your young attitude is rubbish and one of the reasons we are so short of young people in the industry, you need to make it work for you!

Couldn't agree more. Don't think it's too encouraging to expect young person to work all the hours 7 days a week for pocket money!

 

[Irish NZ]

Don't know how you guys find it but relief ends up being bloody expensive for cost V work done.

Not a lot more over here to get a full timer and alot more work.

As beef farmer says contractors make life very simple. Just decided what is important to have in house that you need full control over and what its not as important.

 

[stablegirl]

We have a lot of staff for the size of our herd but everything is done in house bar silage work.

That includes feet/ai, building work, etc

Everytime i get someone to quite for a job i think bloody hell thats dear we will do it ourselves.

 

[pappuller]

We have a lot of staff for the size of our herd but everything is done in house bar silage work.

That includes feet/ai, building work, etc

Everytime i get someone to quite for a job i think bloody hell thats dear we will do it ourselves.

As long as the jobs done correctly, jack of all trades and all that

 

[Clay52]

The whole paying your dues when your young attitude is rubbish and one of the reasons we are so short of young people in the industry, you need to make it work for you!

Yep and farmers wonder why no one young wants to work on farms.

The owner thinks because he grew up working non stop that everyone else should even though they are just an employee and have no investment in the farm.

Once people start doing too many hours the hours they do are very unproductive anyway.

 

[jimmer]

every other weekend off here
12 hour days with 1.5 hours off during the day ,
anyone who wants to do more is quite welcome to at their own cost

 

[Headless chicken]

My alarm goes off at 5:15am every morning. I drag myself out of bed and I'm normally setting the parlour up at about 5:30am.
Dad starts a bit earlier to pus the cows in normally here him arrive as my alarm goes off. He lives on farm but away from the cows so I will do anything "extra" if needed.

I fully expect to be finished by 5-5:30pn every night so 12 hour potential day.
We work when we need to work but got it down pretty well ATM. We should be in from milking 8am and not back out until 3pm unless things have to be done.
I trim feet when needed but try and do this at milking times as I find it easier so when dad washes I trim feet.
AI is carried out by Rms because I can't do it myself cheaper if I cost my time out.
2 relief staff one does one weekend just milking with dad. The other does the other weekend with me when we do the jobs that I need extra help for. Folding up big green nets etc.

It's all a mindset imo. Your the master of your own destiny. At the end of the day this isn't a trial this is it. You could die tomorrow for Christ sake.

 

[multi power]

The one thing thing I would add, like others have said, if I work an extra ten hours a week I don't achieve anything, except exhaustion and poor decision making, and lack of enthusiasm

 

[jimmer]

The one thing thing I would add, like others have said, if I work an extra ten hours a week I don't achieve anything, except exhaustion and poor decision making, and lack of enthusiasm

i agree , it doesnt matter where your ''normal'' is , an extra 10-15% will make a significant difference
normal is different for some people , but i find if i do too little i get more tired and very bored

 

[buffalo_soldier]

Don't really record my hours.
Calving time loads, breeding time lots, time till turnout 8ish.
Turnout till calving much, much less.

Use contractors.
Stopped doing ppwork in the evenings some time ago.
3/4 of my income comes in a 6 month block. So the hours get put in in proportion I guess.

Don't think I've ever read on here an arable type feeling guilty at having the winter off. So I will be buggered if I'm feeling guilty for having nice summer.

 

[ollie989898]

I don't think even superman can do it all, you'll drive yourself doo-laly.

My first thought was ditch the big tractor jobs- get a contractor in. Not the cheapest of the cheap but someone who does a good job and turns up when you need it done.

One customer of mine has barely any kit besides his diet feeder and telehandler, maybe a fert spinner and an aerator. Silaging and slurry is all handled by contractors.

 

[wasted years]

Fair play to you all but it is surprising how many mention the presence of parents to help, if you were first generation and with no parents around you might not be able to afford what you have, whether you think you need it or not.
I am considering my next move which having established my self over the last 15 yrs more or less has to be getting bigger so that I can start looking at those weekend off's and holidays you speak of.

 

[Devon lad]

Ive been looking at our labour bill. It's under budget but I still don't think we are getting great value for money. I think we're using and paying relief too much. Meaning we don't have enough people during the day so we're stretched and find ourselves rushing.

There's only really the herdsman and me who are full time. He have every other weekend off and a day a fortnight but never stays past 6pm.

I have every other weekend off and I cover all holidays. I also do all my paper work in the evenings. I also work late and weekends off when we are mowing, fert spreading combining etc. It sometimes takes me all day Saturday to recover.

It means I work 60 hrs ish one week and 74 hrs the other.

I'm trying to get to a 60 hr week. When I talk to my father or consultant their line is well you have to pay your dues when your young!

I just think we shouldn't be subsidising a profitable business.

Has anyone restructured their labour after being in a similar situation? Or broken away from the every other weekend off model? I like 5-2 where you have fri sat off one week and sun mon off the next. Just relies on you doing your big jobs tues-thurs.

8+2,8+3 for us on a 3 man team. Mondays and Thursdays everyone is in, 5.30-5.30 working hours,6 weeks whole herd dry in winter.

 

[Bruce Almighty]

My brother & I work like idiots but we enjoy it. Typically 80 hours / week sometimes more. I know there are plenty of other dairy farmers that do similar.

Mixed farm with 100 milkers, 50 followers 650 ac arable. Also 80 ewes but that's my son's (16) enterprise, he leaves school in June
We have a good part time harvest / Autumn worker
We also have a milk round & my wife is the village newsagent so a big paper round. I start at 5 every weekday morn with some papers & milk to deliver before doing the milking. If I didn't do those papers wife would be back later then I'd have to feed the calves.
Weekends mornings we have relief milker but I do more papers & milk then. No lying in bed here.

Brother does shop milk most mornings before feeding & bedding.
Fortunately a chap from the village does 2/3 of the milk delivery
It's a long day & usually 6.30 before we're in for tea.
Our milk round is with milk bought in from a local farm, we were going to pasteurise our own but just not enough hours in the day

I am aware that we need to reduce our working hours, but we are now in a position that I could never have dreamt of when I left school - it just proves that hard work gets results