The increased workload that comes with dairy herd expansion is leading more farmers throughout the country to recruit and employ additional labour.

Before recruitment begins, farmers should make sure that any inefficiencies in the existing farm workplan have been addressed and that systems and processes on the farm are labour efficient. Then it is a case of studying the workplan to see how much extra help is needed and what work a new recruit will be required to do.

There is plenty of scope to think outside the box when it comes to addressing labour issues. Casual or part-time labour can provide a flexible approach to bridging gaps with farm labour, particularly if the gaps have been clearly identified beforehand.

Relief milkers are the obvious option, but casual labour (including family labour) could also be used for specific jobs, such as calf rearing and grass measuring. Likewise, contractors can take pressure off labour for machinery work or artificial insemination if a convenient drafting system is in place.

For recruiting full-time workers, specific information relating to candidate criteria and responsibilities should be included in communication with candidates or in any advertisements to ensure the right people come forward.

Proper recruitment is about the quality and not the quantity of responses to a job advertisement.

Identifying what type of help you need is one thing, but finding the suitable person is another.

In most farm situations, the employee will be working at the farmer’s home, so finding the appropriate person is particularly important.

Interview

In a farm recruitment situation, most interviews tend to be quite casual and situational interviews are recommended by farm recruitment specialists.

This involves asking the candidate how they would react in specific situations that they may face in the job or getting the candidate to complete a task that will be common in the role.

Most recruitment advisers recommend not getting hung up on checking references, as it generally is not an effective way of finding out about the person.

Before a new member of staff begins work, farmers should be clear by stating what is required from the person. Most workers will appreciate clarity and structure from their employer.

Likewise, the employee should make it clear what they need from the job. Do they need to leave at a strict time each day, can they not work certain days, what jobs are they incapable of or unwilling to do?

For full-time staff, it is recommended that farmers include a probation period of at least three months to give both parties the flexibility to get out of the arrangement. This can be extended after three months or a full-time contract can be offered.

Bill Brown, Millisle, Co Down

There is one full-time worker and two part-time staff employed on the farm.

Chris is the full-time worker and he has been here since mid-September. He started at the beginning of the busy calving period and although he had no experience of milking, he has learned quickly and has a good way with cattle.

My previous full-time worker left shortly before this because he was moving away, so I was under pressure to find someone reliable to help ahead of calving.

However, I was lucky in that recruiting turned out easier than I thought.

I got in contact with Chris through his father, who does hoof trimming work here, and we arranged for him to come to the farm.

170 cows are currently going through Bill Brown's parlour and they are yielding an average of 31 litres/cow/day.

We walked around and had a chat about work on the farm, his experience and what I needed.

It was a relaxed process, which I think is the best way to get to know someone.

The two casual workers are here a good bit during calving season and then do relief milking for the remainder of the year, mostly at the weekends.

One worker does eight milkings a week and the other does two milkings a week.

It takes two people to milk between parlour work, bedding and scraping cubicles.

I am around most of the time to start feeding cows or else help in the parlour or cubicle house when milking is going on and my dad is also here and takes care of feeding calves.

New skill set for managing people

For farmers who have not employed someone before, being an employer requires a new set of skills. Dairy farmers who have significantly expanded their herds often state that their work becomes less about managing cows and more about managing people.

Ongoing communication is central to avoid a breakdown in relations with staff. Situations can change within anyone’s personal life and both parties need to be aware that this may require a review of their working arrangement.

Communication is also needed for building a picture of what work needs to be completed each day. Use of whiteboards or paper lists can be a useful method of building a clear picture of tasks and time.

It also allows the employer to spend time off farm when staff are present.

Acknowledging good work and achievement is an important element of maintaining staff morale.

Calmly discussing the reasons why work was not completed to a certain standard is also central to keeping a good working atmosphere and ensuring the task is carried out better the next time.