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Know How / Staff management

A motivated, well-trained team can be the key to running a successful agricultural business, but people management can be a challenge. Get expert advice on how to recruit and retain the best farm staff, plus tips on staying on the right side of the law when it comes to employment issues.

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Case studies

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PIGS

How staff training is benefiting performance on pig unit

A varied, extensive training programme has helped maintain and improve employee knowledge at one of the largest family-run pig genetics businesses, Rattlerow Farms. The programme has also improved staff motivation…

TECHNOLOGY

Contracting app cuts down time spent on workers' timesheets

An innovative app is helping contractors and farmers reduce the tedious paper trail associated with job recording and workers' timesheets. HarvestYield cuts down on paperwork by sending information straight to…

STAFF MANAGEMENT

How Gold Cup winners are managing staff

Teamwork, staff management and new technology are the three secrets to running a successful business, says Philip Metcalfe of Metcalfe Farms. Last year the farm scooped the NMR/RABDF Gold Cup…

DAIRY

How to run a successful multi-site dairy business

The Pilkington family have taken their passion for simple grass-based dairying and developed it into a successful multi-site business. Driven by a clear succession plan with their son Matt returning…

NEWS

How a post-Brexit staff shortage could affect horticulture

When award-winning vegetable grower Joe Rolfe needs his brassicas weeding, an army of people descend by the busload on the farm. Horticulture is notoriously labour intensive – and even more…

LIVESTOCK

New Zealander helps Oxford farm cope with shearing season

Shearing is a specialist skill, and one that takes many years and thousands, if not millions, of sheep to master. For Oxfordshire shearer Stuart Connor, being able to hire a…

Practical advice

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STAFF MANAGEMENT

Options for farmers to secure migrant labour from 2021

The government’s proposed points-based immigration system (PBS) looks like it could do little to help the agricultural and horticultural sectors, according to the most recent details. Due to take effect…

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Get ready for harvest: How to carry out a safety induction

Farmers who take on staff to help them over the harvest period should make sure all workers are given a clear health and safety briefing before they start work. It…

STAFF MANAGEMENT

Coronavirus: How employers can reclaim statutory sick pay

Employers can use the Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme to reclaim payments made to current or former employees unable to work due to Covid-19. The repayment will cover a…

STAFF MANAGEMENT

Coronavirus: Farms advised to use face masks

Farm staff should be using face masks in many instances to limit the spread of coronavirus, says health and safety adviser Oliver Dale. A mask will not necessarily prevent the…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: What to do if staff ignore Covid-19 advice

Whether you have a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Natalie Ward, senior associate of law firm Thrings, advises how best to…

STAFF MANAGEMENT

Coronavirus: Plans to use furloughed workers? Make checks first

Farmers looking for seasonal labour are being urged to think carefully about the practicalities of using furloughed workers and make sure they check any workers they want to take on…

Insights

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STAFF MANAGEMENT

Farm apprenticeships: Everything you need to know

Apprenticeships are mutually beneficial arrangements between an employer and an employee that allow practical skills to be built up alongside an educational programme. Employers enjoy being able to mould young…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Study reveals what a farm manager is worth

The average farm manager earns £49,523 including any bonuses and profit share payments. In addition to this, they receive an estimated £8,368 in non-cash benefits such as housing, vehicle use…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Outlook 2019: What Brexit uncertainty means for farm profits

The UK has high employment rates but a challenging economic background. Across the wider economy, a very free labour market offers confidence to employers to take on workers. However, many…

CAREERS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Farm manager salaries stagnate but benefits rise

Farm managers earned an average of £52,268 in 2017, just £30 more than two years earlier. This was made up of a £48,760 gross salary plus an average £3,508 bonus…

NEWS

Shocking extent of modern slavery in agriculture revealed

The shocking extent of labour exploitation and modern-day slavery in agriculture has been laid bare in a new report by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA). Drawing on its…

BUSINESS

What the EU agreement on citizens’ rights means for farmworker...

Last week the government announced to great fanfare that it and the EU had come to an agreement about citizens’ rights post Brexit. This will have a big impact on…

BREXIT

Analysis: Access to farm labour if the UK left the EU

Migrant labour plays a key role in agriculture – but could farmers, especially in the horticulture sector, access enough labour if the UK voted to leave the EU? Under the…

BUSINESS

Analysis: How the new wages rise will hit horticulture hard

The UK’s horticulture sector wakes up today, Friday 1 April, to what some predict will be the biggest upheaval in a generation – the introduction of the national living wage…