Talented pool of farm administrators
Talented pool of farm administrators
ready to help you
GOOD farm business administrators are becoming more important – some would even say indispensable – to the agricultural industry than ever before.
As incomes continue to fall, farmers have been forced to pare labour costs to the bone in a desperate attempt to keep businesses afloat. Inevitably, this has meant shouldering an increasing burden of the workload themselves.
With not enough hours in the day to go around something has had to give, and often it has been the routine, yet vital, administrative office-based tasks involved with running the farm enterprise that have suffered.
But, as the results of the Farm Business Administrator of the Year 2001 competition revealed, there is a pool of talented people available for farmers who feel they are drowning in a sea of paperwork and red tape – and it probably is not as expensive as they might expect.
Last years batch of contestants had to cope with a new format which saw them carrying out a detailed case study of a real-life farm business – something typically handled by a costly consultant. They coped with this so well it has been decided to run the competition in the same vein this year.
After answering the first round questions, entrants will be sent all the relevant details needed to devise a SWOT analysis and outline business plan for a farming customer of principal sponsor Lloyds TSB.
Foot-and-mouth permitting, the finalists will then be invited to visit the farm sometime in May or June where they will discuss and justify their proposals with a panel of judges.
The prestigious title of Farm Business Administrator of the Year is not the only thing up for grabs – there are some great prizes to be won, including £750 for the winner; not to mention a selection of useful Farmplan software.
So, if you think you are up to the task, get cracking on those first round questions and maybe soon your CV could boast the ultimate accolade that will be sure to keep the work rolling in. Best of luck.
Last years winner Tracey Abell (right) and runner-up Joanne Hosking receive their trophies from Lloyds TSB senior agricultural manager Colin Fenwick. It is hoped – foot-and-mouth permitting – that this years awards ceremony will be back at its usual venue, the Royal Show.
• The winner will receive a cheque for £750 from Lloyds TSB, the Black Horse Perpetual Trophy, a selection of Farmplan computer software and a years subscription to the Royal Agricultural Society of England, farmers weekly and IagSA.
• The runner-up will receive a cheque for £250 and a years subscription to farmers weekly and IagSA.
• The winner and runner-up will also receive a commemorative Black Horse trophy from Lloyds TSB.
• All those entering the second round will receive a Lloyds TSB Small Business Guide and a bottle of champagne.
• Entrants may be self-nominated or put forward by their employer. Employers nominating the winner and runner-up will receive a bottle of champagne from the sponsors.
Farm Business Administrator 2002
Round One questions
1 What is the corporation tax rate if you had a profit of £300,001-
£1,500,000 in 2001/02?
(a) 22.5% (b) 25% (c) 32.5% (d) 30%
2 Why is Triticale grown and what is it used for?
3 What do these acronyms stand for:
(a) WGS (b) CEFAS (c) FRCA (d) NVZ
(e) COGAP (f) ERDP (g) BOAT (h) VTS
4 What is the current VAT rate for grants and subsidies?
5 How many employees are required before they need to be offered a
stakeholder pension and what is the penalty for not adhering to this?
6 How many years should animal movement records be kept and what are
the rules for entering details in a movement book?
7 You have a year end of Sept 30, 2001. You have received a bill from the
accountants for work to this date but it is dated Nov 11, 2001. Also the
telephone bill has arrived for the three months ending Oct 31, 2001 and is
dated Nov 5, 2001, assuming the accounts for the Sept 30, 2001 are not
closed, how would you deal with these invoices to present the correct
figures to your accountants?
8 What is the rate for first year capital allowance for computers and IT items
purchased in 2001/2002?
(a) 0% (b) 25% (c) 50% (d) 100%
9 In calculating a farmers gross margin, indicate which of the following costs
would generally be treated as fixed or variable costs? (F=fixed, V=variable)
(a) Seed (b) AI charges (c) Power and machinery (d) Regular labour
(e) Rent (f) Fertiliser (g) Interest charges (h) Contractors charge
10 What is the minimum standby duty allowance per part standby day for a 17-year-old?
Please send answers, together with your CV to: The Secretary, Institute of Agricultural Secretaries and Administrators, National Agricultural Centre, Stoneleigh, Warks CV8 2LZ.
Full name Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms (CAPITALS) ………………………………………………..
Address ………………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………….. Postcode ……………………………..
Date of Birth …………………………… Tel number ………………………………….
o Tick if interested in further details about IagSA
I/we nominate my/our secretary for the Farm Business Administrator 2002 competition:
Name …………………………………………………………………………………………..
Address ………………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………….. Postcode ……………………………..
Entries to be returned by Feb 15, 2002.
The above questions can also be found on the IagSA web-site – www.IagSA.co.uk. Answers and CVs can also be sent via e-mail (in Microsoft Word/Works) to IagSA@farmline.com
1 Entrants must be bona-fide Farm Business Administrators working either full or part-time in Great Britain or students taking an agricultural course here (full or part-time), whether or not they have entered the competition before.
2 There will be one section for the competition, the winner being awarded the title "Farm Business Administrator 2002"
3 Complete the entry form in ink, enclosing a copy of your curriculum vitae plus the reply to the questions on A4 paper. Please state if you have a particular area of specialisation (eg dairy industry, horticulture etc). Entries to arrive no later than Feb 15, 2002.
Details to be included on CV:
The names and addresses of two referees (one work reference, one character reference), details of current and past work undertaken and any other relevant information, eg: on-going training, career aspirations if a student, work intentions once you have completed your course, plus details of any vacation/pre-college employment.
4 Successful entrants will be asked to attend a finals day in May 2002 where finalists will be interviewed on their case study/research by the panel of judges.
5 The winners will be announced at a reception hosted by Lloyds TSB at the Royal Show in July 2002.
6 All judges will be appointed by the Institute of Agricultural Secretaries and Administrators, Lloyds TSB and farmers weekly. All referees may be contacted.
7 Standard class return rail fares or mileage expenses will be paid for those attending the final selections.
8 All entries will be acknowledged but no entries will be accepted after the closing date. No responsibility will be accepted for entries delayed or lost in the post or otherwise. Proof of posting will not be accepted as proof of delivery.
9 The decision of the judges will be final and no communication will be entered into.