In the blink of an eye, cows will be coming in for full-time housing, offering farmers a chance to consider hiring farm labour.

Once cows are in, the months will quickly slip by and farmers will not feel it until they are setting up for spring again.

Over the last decade, farms have rapidly expanded and with it, the workload.

Many of the farmers behind this expansion are an ageing population, and may be starting to slow down whether they admit it or not.

The physicality required during the likes of the calving season may be simply too much for many anymore.

Therefore, looking at options such as hiring staff should be on the to-do list now.

But with tight margins heading into the spring and labour shortages in the dairy sector, finding good quality labour for the milking season may not be an easy task.

Farm labour

You may be thinking it is far too early to be even considering hiring staff, with the calving season still months away.

But when you rule out Christmas, and get caught up in other jobs, you will not feel those few months slip by.

Before you know it, everyone will be looking for workers, and simple supply and demand will leave you struggling to find them.

By getting ahead of the game now and lining up staff, even if it is only a verbal contract with a young lad or lady down the road, you can drive efficiency next spring and prevent having to carry an overbearing workload.

A lot of farmers may have their children around to help out, but this often is only a coping mechanism that allows the farmer a chance to catch up on work they fell behind on during the week while the kids are in school or college.

Many other farmers have no interest in hiring staff. This is completely fine if that is the way you work, but if it is for financial reasons, it may be well worth reconsidering.

The majority of relief milkers cost anywhere between €60-€100 per milking - however, this varies greatly depending on experience, herd size, parlour set-up, and even location.

I always think about it simply, if you are paying €80 a milking, setting aside €5,000 from this year's cull cow sales, can buy you over over 60 milkings in the busy spring months.

It may seem like a lot when cash flow is tight, but with the time saved, you will see improved performance in both beast and man.

That extra time allows cows more time at grass which will directly boost solids.

In addition, cows are more likely to be milk recorded, breeding improves, calf health improves, among other benefits, all of which save costs and boost profits, essentially making back a good chunk of the money spent on labour.

It may also allow you to get some well-earned holidays, even if it is something as simple as just getting away to a match.

Hiring

When you are hiring staff, there is no point in wasting both your time and their time.

Be clear and upfront with them about what their role is going to consist of and how long they will be needed for.

Staff need to know if you are only going to want them for to feed calves during the calving season, if you are going to want them to milk for the year, or, for those with 'shiny metal disease', if there will be an opportunity to gain experience in the cab.

You also need to be honest and flexible about their hours, roster, and availability for time off.

The farm is your business, so you are happy to put in the long hours, but for them, it is just a job.

Most farm staff will automatically be conscious that, on a farm, something will always go wrong, and be flexible to work with that rather than thinking finishing time is set in stone, but it should not be a regular occurrence.

The farm needs to be an attractive workplace, so consider developing a standard operating procedure for jobs on your farm, this will also help you in in term of getting the jobs done to your desired standard.

The calving season is a stressful time with long hours and little sleep, but if you are hiring young farmers, try to stay calm with them and teach them the best practices rather than getting annoyed.

You may have years of experience and knowledge under the belt, but it is important to remember that everybody has to start somewhere.