The issue of attracting and retaining staff on dairy farms is ongoing within the dairy sector and the agricultural sector as a whole.
The Irish dairy sector has seen a rapid expansion in the post-quota era, with over 100-cow herds much more common than 20 years ago.
Although this has been hugely beneficial for the sector, the lack of skilled labour within these herds continues to be an issue.
Staff
The majority of Irish dairy farms are working off the family model, whereby the running of the farm is done by a family.
However, there is still the need on many of these farms to have hired labour from outside the family.
This could vary from needing a full-time member of staff to needing a relief milker a number of days/week.
No matter what the role is, staff are hard to come by and even harder to hold on to.
Key areas to look at
So what are some of the key areas that dairy farmers should be looking at improving to make their farms a more attractive place to work.
Working hours:
One of the key areas that farmers should be looking at is the length of the working day.
Yes, there are times when a longer day will have to be put in, but you should aim to have a set start and finish time when possible.
The start and finishing time will likely be based around the milking time, be that doesn’t mean a 12-hour day.
Where possible, the evening milking should be started earlier in the day, which will allow for an earlier finish time.
Roster:
You should also try have days off scheduled and a rota in place with these days clearly marked for staff to know when they have time off.
The cows don’t stop milking on the weekends and farmers don’t either, but staff cannot be expected to work every weekend.
If they are needed on the weekend they should be compensated by having a day off during the week.
Safety and facilities:
Another area that some farms may need to look at is ensuring that the farm is a safe environment to work in.
Some of the livestock or machinery on the farm might be okay for you to use, but other people may not be happy with them.
The facilities on the farm may also need to be looked at. They do not need to be the most modern or high tech – but they should be easy to work in.
Progression or training:
Ideally, you also want to show a route of progression or offer further training to staff.
Progression could be the opportunity to manage the farm in the near future, while training could include hoof paring or an artificial insemination (AI) course, which have a benefit for you and whoever you employ.