Farmer Focus: Starting to think more about staff management

I am all written out for today! I finally managed to set some time aside this morning to write my groom’s speech ready for Saturday’s wedding.
All of a sudden it makes Farmer Focus writing look easy!
With the big day looming, and it being held away from the farm, all focus in the past couple of weeks has been on making sure that the farm will survive without us.
You suddenly start thinking about all the possible scenarios that could go wrong – and then we have to keep reminding ourselves that between us we are only actually away for two nights, and we do have mobile phones.
It has been a bit of a niggly month really, with pressures created as costs continue to rise. This hasn’t been helped by ongoing staff issues.
I have to say I am learning a lot about staff management and have now really started to try to take a proactive approach. We have spent money on accommodation, and also look to have a team meeting every Wednesday in an attempt to aid communication and unify the team.
See also: Farm management: How to become a better boss
I hope it works, as staff do play a key role in dairy farming of any sort of scale these days. It really did take the biscuit when I returned from my stag do to be met on the yard by our Polish milker who was in a worse state than I was!
The maize is now romping along and it is looking like an early harvest. It might possibly even be ready by late September, which will be a real boost.
The cows are milking very well at the moment as we have calved quite a few this month with milk currently at 32 litres a cow.
However, I think we will all be a little bit more relaxed once fourth cut is taken off and the maize is safely in the clamp.
By the time you read this I will be a married man. Fingers crossed that she turns up and all the hard work has paid off!
Henry Wilson is a Farmer Focus writer from Shropshire. Read his biography.