The spring workload is starting to grow on farms across the country. With suckler and dairy cows calving, farmers are heading into the busiest period of the year. With number increasing, many farmers are looking at their approach to labour. For some, this involves setting up simpler systems, especially where family are involved, to make sure the basics are done right.
Contractors are used more often during the spring and some farmers are looking to use employed labour differently. As herd numbers increase, family labour is being replaced by bought-in labour. It means that new skills will need to be developed by farmers to manage labour.
Communications
Communication is key over the busy period. Many farmers with employees have a weekly meeting to look back on how the last week went and make plans for the week ahead. In this meeting lists are drawn up and people given actions.
This could prove a useful discipline – even for those farming on their own. Set a time to talk to your partner or even another farmer about how the week has gone and how the week ahead can be managed. Write a list for yourself.
White boards and lists are good tools no matter how many people are working on the farm. Instead of a long list, try dividing the white board in four squares to separate the jobs into urgent and non-urgent. This helps with planning, especially for non-routine jobs.
The jobs in box A (see graphic) are essentially fire fighting that needs to be done now. There should never be more than five and ideally less than two jobs on this box.
The next jobs to be done are those in box B. These are jobs which, if done now, will make it easier for the farm by reducing stumbling blocks or anticipating problems.
It could be organising contractor or additional labour, ordering vaccines before certain date, doing maintenance to a machine before it is used.
Then next jobs are listed in box C. These are maintenance type jobs such as fixing broken gates or cleaning out the dairy that can be done when time allows.
The last jobs, in box D, are things such as routine weed control, checking electric fences for leaks or setting rat bait.
Additional labour
Having a list in this format allows you to plan, especially if you are getting in additional labour just one or two days a week.
The jobs can be allocated to each week, taking into account the skills, time and resources needed to do them. When the job is done, the person ticks it off the list and then it is reviewed the next week.
Having it on the wall allows everyone to see the potential workload for the week ahead. You can quickly see how the work plan is progressing as different jobs are ticked off. During the busy spring period the focus will be more on boxes A and B, but as the year goes on jobs in box C and D will be ticked off.
Calving tips: Getting through the night
Getting up in the middle of the night can be the most difficult issue of the calving and lambing period. Farmers, like everyone else, need a good night’s sleep. Without it, mistakes will be made.
Night feeding: Night feeding has been proved to reduce the number of calvings during the night, where facilities allow.
Compact calving: Some farmers I talked to look at the cows at 10.30pm and get up again at 6am. Most calves are waiting for them, with the number of calves lost minimal.
This is part of a system of compact calving, where having cows in the right condition score and in-calf to an easy-calving bull is key.
Night shift: A number of larger sheep and dairy farmers employ someone to come in for the night shift during the very busy time. One farmer who is doing this for the first time this year is actually sharing the person with his neighbour. The person works between the two farms from 9pm to 8am making sure cows are calved and the calves are fed colostrum.
Technology: Calving cameras are going high tech, with farmers able to see cows calving on their phone, zoom in and move the camera around. Fixed cameras have become much cheaper as well. Calving alert products such as Moocall and or Vel’Phone are becoming more popular, especially where farmers are working off-farm.
Milk the fresh group once a day (OAD): A few farmers I talked to were milking freshly calved cows and heifers in an OAD group until they settled down. They were getting in additional help in the morning so they were available to train heifers. This left the evening milking much easier and quicker, especially when the farmer was milking on his/her own. Where this fresh group was being milked twice a day, farmers were putting them through the parlour first in the evening. That was when they are milked only one person is needed afterwards allowing other work to be done.
Farmer profile:
Ben Tyrrell
“I start early in the morning, around 5.30am. While you can do 12-14 hours yourself for a while in the busy period, it’s not sustainable. You certainly can’t expect people working for you to do the same,” said Ben Tryell, Woodtown Jerseys, Abbott, Kildalkey, Co Meath. Ben has increased the number of cows calving from 120 in 2015 to 185 cows this spring. The autumn herd has stayed at 90. Labour has definitely increased, but an investment in a new shed last year has balanced this by reduced workload.
Facilities are important. “We used to have young stock in open yards and straw bedding, but now everything is in cubicles with automatic scrapers,” he said. This has cut down workload dramatically.
Ben has had a full-time worker, Brian, for a good number of years, but knew he had to employ additional labour for the busiest period.
“Managing labour is something I have been looking at a long time. I have talked to a lot people and found there are many ways to do it.
“We don’t mind getting up early. We started by setting out the goal that Brian and I were finishing at 4pm. We made a decision that the best way to do this was to bring in a contract milker, just for evening milkings,” said Ben. “In the morning I do the milking, AI and look after any cows that are calving. Brian would get the cows from the cubicles, clean them and start feeding. We all know how to do each job, but I find it easier to have definite roles that each person can focus on,” he added.
They start milking early in the evening, milking the freshly calved cows first. Brian would help the contract milker to finish these before heading off. The contract milker finishes off milking on his own.
“The contract milker came to me but I decided to employ him through Farm Relief. It covers all the issues with labour laws and tax. I get a bill once a month and know exactly the situation,” said Ben.
His father looks after the calf rearing. “We make sure they have colostrum within half an hour, are tagged and weighed before we bring them up to the calf house where he takes over.”
On looking after the nights, Ben said: “I would go out and look at around 10.30pm. If there is one close to calving I might stay up but otherwise I will go to bed. After calving 40 cows so far, only two have been waiting for me when I got up in the morning,” he added.
“We have also moved from working one weekend in two to working one weekend in three. We found that the weekends get very precious.” With a small family he made the decision to bring in a contract milker for the fourth weekend.
Huge increase in demand for labour
Farm Relief Services (FRS) is definitely seeing an increase in demand for labour on farm this spring. The company did a recruitment drive earlier in anticipation of the increased demand for labour expected this spring.
Managers around the country say they are well set up for the farmers who have enquired about getting labour. However, the concern is when farmers ring up expecting labour to be there the next day. This usually happens as the spring goes on. Farmers suddenly find they are getting behind on the workload and getting burnt out. Ned Dunphy, manager at FRS Waterford, is seeing increased demand from farmers who went up in numbers only to realise they just can’t handle the extra workload.
“Most farmers are booking in for two to three days a week over the busy spring period to give themselves a break and catch up on the workload,” said Ned. Some farmers who had labour for two to three days last year are looking for a full-time worker now. Other farmers are looking to block book every morning or evening milking to take that job off their list. Peter Byrne of FRS said it is important to match the worker with the farmer. Some of some key considerations are:
Expectations: This can be on both sides. Often the farmer expects that the labour will put in the same hours and go at the same fast pace as they go about their work. This can often lead to tension. “Farmers have to realise that employees are different and take this into account,” said PeterCommunication: “You have to give clear instruction. Too often the farmer does not take time to do that. Writing down lists and agreeing the time it takes to do a job is a great way of doing this,” said Peter.Longer term align your needs with that of your employee: If you want to develop your employee, find out if he or she wants to train and progress and facilitate it as they may stay longer.Time off: Agree in advance and be flexible; people need to relax and illness does occur from time to time.Acknowledge success and reward it where possible, encourage learning from failures: Become an invaluable mentor, not just a boss, especially to young people starting out in the industry. “There will come a time when your employee will want to move on, and if you have treated him/her right you will find the recruitment process much quicker and easier next time round,” Peter said.
The spring workload is starting to grow on farms across the country. With suckler and dairy cows calving, farmers are heading into the busiest period of the year. With number increasing, many farmers are looking at their approach to labour. For some, this involves setting up simpler systems, especially where family are involved, to make sure the basics are done right.
Contractors are used more often during the spring and some farmers are looking to use employed labour differently. As herd numbers increase, family labour is being replaced by bought-in labour. It means that new skills will need to be developed by farmers to manage labour.
Communications
Communication is key over the busy period. Many farmers with employees have a weekly meeting to look back on how the last week went and make plans for the week ahead. In this meeting lists are drawn up and people given actions.
This could prove a useful discipline – even for those farming on their own. Set a time to talk to your partner or even another farmer about how the week has gone and how the week ahead can be managed. Write a list for yourself.
White boards and lists are good tools no matter how many people are working on the farm. Instead of a long list, try dividing the white board in four squares to separate the jobs into urgent and non-urgent. This helps with planning, especially for non-routine jobs.
The jobs in box A (see graphic) are essentially fire fighting that needs to be done now. There should never be more than five and ideally less than two jobs on this box.
The next jobs to be done are those in box B. These are jobs which, if done now, will make it easier for the farm by reducing stumbling blocks or anticipating problems.
It could be organising contractor or additional labour, ordering vaccines before certain date, doing maintenance to a machine before it is used.
Then next jobs are listed in box C. These are maintenance type jobs such as fixing broken gates or cleaning out the dairy that can be done when time allows.
The last jobs, in box D, are things such as routine weed control, checking electric fences for leaks or setting rat bait.
Additional labour
Having a list in this format allows you to plan, especially if you are getting in additional labour just one or two days a week.
The jobs can be allocated to each week, taking into account the skills, time and resources needed to do them. When the job is done, the person ticks it off the list and then it is reviewed the next week.
Having it on the wall allows everyone to see the potential workload for the week ahead. You can quickly see how the work plan is progressing as different jobs are ticked off. During the busy spring period the focus will be more on boxes A and B, but as the year goes on jobs in box C and D will be ticked off.
Calving tips: Getting through the night
Getting up in the middle of the night can be the most difficult issue of the calving and lambing period. Farmers, like everyone else, need a good night’s sleep. Without it, mistakes will be made.
Night feeding: Night feeding has been proved to reduce the number of calvings during the night, where facilities allow.
Compact calving: Some farmers I talked to look at the cows at 10.30pm and get up again at 6am. Most calves are waiting for them, with the number of calves lost minimal.
This is part of a system of compact calving, where having cows in the right condition score and in-calf to an easy-calving bull is key.
Night shift: A number of larger sheep and dairy farmers employ someone to come in for the night shift during the very busy time. One farmer who is doing this for the first time this year is actually sharing the person with his neighbour. The person works between the two farms from 9pm to 8am making sure cows are calved and the calves are fed colostrum.
Technology: Calving cameras are going high tech, with farmers able to see cows calving on their phone, zoom in and move the camera around. Fixed cameras have become much cheaper as well. Calving alert products such as Moocall and or Vel’Phone are becoming more popular, especially where farmers are working off-farm.
Milk the fresh group once a day (OAD): A few farmers I talked to were milking freshly calved cows and heifers in an OAD group until they settled down. They were getting in additional help in the morning so they were available to train heifers. This left the evening milking much easier and quicker, especially when the farmer was milking on his/her own. Where this fresh group was being milked twice a day, farmers were putting them through the parlour first in the evening. That was when they are milked only one person is needed afterwards allowing other work to be done.
Farmer profile:
Ben Tyrrell
“I start early in the morning, around 5.30am. While you can do 12-14 hours yourself for a while in the busy period, it’s not sustainable. You certainly can’t expect people working for you to do the same,” said Ben Tryell, Woodtown Jerseys, Abbott, Kildalkey, Co Meath. Ben has increased the number of cows calving from 120 in 2015 to 185 cows this spring. The autumn herd has stayed at 90. Labour has definitely increased, but an investment in a new shed last year has balanced this by reduced workload.
Facilities are important. “We used to have young stock in open yards and straw bedding, but now everything is in cubicles with automatic scrapers,” he said. This has cut down workload dramatically.
Ben has had a full-time worker, Brian, for a good number of years, but knew he had to employ additional labour for the busiest period.
“Managing labour is something I have been looking at a long time. I have talked to a lot people and found there are many ways to do it.
“We don’t mind getting up early. We started by setting out the goal that Brian and I were finishing at 4pm. We made a decision that the best way to do this was to bring in a contract milker, just for evening milkings,” said Ben. “In the morning I do the milking, AI and look after any cows that are calving. Brian would get the cows from the cubicles, clean them and start feeding. We all know how to do each job, but I find it easier to have definite roles that each person can focus on,” he added.
They start milking early in the evening, milking the freshly calved cows first. Brian would help the contract milker to finish these before heading off. The contract milker finishes off milking on his own.
“The contract milker came to me but I decided to employ him through Farm Relief. It covers all the issues with labour laws and tax. I get a bill once a month and know exactly the situation,” said Ben.
His father looks after the calf rearing. “We make sure they have colostrum within half an hour, are tagged and weighed before we bring them up to the calf house where he takes over.”
On looking after the nights, Ben said: “I would go out and look at around 10.30pm. If there is one close to calving I might stay up but otherwise I will go to bed. After calving 40 cows so far, only two have been waiting for me when I got up in the morning,” he added.
“We have also moved from working one weekend in two to working one weekend in three. We found that the weekends get very precious.” With a small family he made the decision to bring in a contract milker for the fourth weekend.
Huge increase in demand for labour
Farm Relief Services (FRS) is definitely seeing an increase in demand for labour on farm this spring. The company did a recruitment drive earlier in anticipation of the increased demand for labour expected this spring.
Managers around the country say they are well set up for the farmers who have enquired about getting labour. However, the concern is when farmers ring up expecting labour to be there the next day. This usually happens as the spring goes on. Farmers suddenly find they are getting behind on the workload and getting burnt out. Ned Dunphy, manager at FRS Waterford, is seeing increased demand from farmers who went up in numbers only to realise they just can’t handle the extra workload.
“Most farmers are booking in for two to three days a week over the busy spring period to give themselves a break and catch up on the workload,” said Ned. Some farmers who had labour for two to three days last year are looking for a full-time worker now. Other farmers are looking to block book every morning or evening milking to take that job off their list. Peter Byrne of FRS said it is important to match the worker with the farmer. Some of some key considerations are:
Expectations: This can be on both sides. Often the farmer expects that the labour will put in the same hours and go at the same fast pace as they go about their work. This can often lead to tension. “Farmers have to realise that employees are different and take this into account,” said PeterCommunication: “You have to give clear instruction. Too often the farmer does not take time to do that. Writing down lists and agreeing the time it takes to do a job is a great way of doing this,” said Peter.Longer term align your needs with that of your employee: If you want to develop your employee, find out if he or she wants to train and progress and facilitate it as they may stay longer.Time off: Agree in advance and be flexible; people need to relax and illness does occur from time to time.Acknowledge success and reward it where possible, encourage learning from failures: Become an invaluable mentor, not just a boss, especially to young people starting out in the industry. “There will come a time when your employee will want to move on, and if you have treated him/her right you will find the recruitment process much quicker and easier next time round,” Peter said.
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