As we enter into November now is a good time of year for dairy farmers to start looking for staff for next spring.
Labour shortage within the agricultural sector as a whole is an issue, which is why if you need help on your farm for spring the search should start now.
Expansion within the dairy sector has meant that many farms now need more than one person working on the farm.
This is especially so during the busy spring-calving period which is the most labour intensive period on dairy farms.
Staff
For many, it might seem too early to begin looking for help next spring. However, what is likely to happen is that everyone will start looking at the same time and this will make the task more difficult.
Because of this, it is a good idea to get ahead of everyone else and begin the process of looking for help.
It is important when looking for someone to make it clear what their role will entail and how long the employment will last.
Farmers should outline the hours of work, jobs that will be completed, and the pay for the role.
On some farms the role may only be for the spring-calving period and this should be made clear to any applicants.
There are also a number of other considerations such as a roster for any potential employee, including days off and expected hours of work.
Although exact hours of work may be hard to determine during the spring, you should have a time set out for when work should stop.
You should offer the employee regular days off, with a five days on and two days off rota or 11 days on and three days off system which is also common on many farms.
This will ensure that the job is completed to the level you expect and it will make it far easier for the employee to understand and put into practice.
You can draw up and print off these SOPs to be placed in the most practical area; they may become useful in areas like the milking parlour when a relief milker is milking.
Type of labour
Before you begin your search for labour, you need to firstly determine what kind of labour is going to suit you and your farm best.
Some may require a full-time staff member, while others might just need someone for a few months in the spring.
But for others it could just be having someone to relief milk for them.
Determining what kind of labour you need should make it easier to identify the right candidate, but also ensure that anyone who applies is fully aware of type of work.
