Well-organised dairy farmers work 19 hours a week less than their counterparts who operate less efficient holdings.

The stark findings are outlined in a recent academic paper written by researchers at Teagasc and UCD.

The study, which was based on data compiled on 55 pasture-based dairy units, found that the average working week for farmers on the 25% most-efficient holdings was 51.2 hours.

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In contrast, an average working week of 70 hours was recorded for the 25% of farms deemed to have the lowest ranking for organisational effectiveness.

Disparity

The study, which was carried out between 1 February and 30 June 2019, found that there was a significant disparity between the total hours worked on the most-efficient farms compared with the poorer-performing units.

While the total hours worked during the study period on the top 25% of holdings was 1,895 hours, the corresponding figure for the bottom 25% was 2,240 hours. This was an 18% differential.

On the top holdings, the farmer did 58% of the hours recorded, with family members doing 21% and hired-in labour and contractors providing the remaining 21%.

However, in contrast, there was significantly less use of hired-in labour and contractors in the poorest-performing farms.

Hired-in labour and contractors only accounted for 15% of the total hours worked, with family providing a further 18%. This meant that 67% of the hours were worked by the farmer.

Longer working day

As a consequence, the lowest-performing holdings had a longer working day than the most-efficient holdings (13.2 hours compared with 11.4 hours) and less time for non-farming activity (3.4 hours compared with 4.2 hours).

In addition, the 25% of farms deemed to have the lowest ranking for organisational effectiveness had just 0.9 days off on average between the start of calving and end of breeding, compared to two days off on average for the 25% deemed to be the most organisationally efficient.

Farms with effective work organisation had a labour-efficient system with relatively low farmer work hours

The academic paper - which was authored by Conor Hogan, Jim Kinsella, Marion Beecher and Bernadette O’Brien - accepts the findings are based on a relatively small number of farms and that more research in the area is needed.

However, they contend that the study identifies mechanisms to tackle the “social sustainability issues” on pasture-based dairy farms, which have been exacerbated in recent years by expanding herd sizes and a declining workforce.

“Farms with effective work organisation had a labour-efficient system with relatively low farmer work hours,” the authors noted.

“Extension of the work organisation concept to other farms could improve their labour situation and aid in alleviating some of the key quality of life challenges faced by dairy farmers,” they maintained.

“The farms achieving effective work organisation in this study had a labour-efficient system, with relatively low farmer working hours and high levels of farm profitability,” the study stated.

It argued that placing greater value on the “sustainability of workload” will be essential in addressing and countering “the negative perceptions associated with careers in dairy farming”.

Crucially, it will also show farmers “what can be achieved on their own farms”, the authors added.

The academic paper entitled ‘The impact of work organisation on the work life of people on pasture-based dairy farms’ was published in Animal: The International Journal of Animal Biosciences.