Right now, a lack of rain is the biggest headache for many farmers. But if I ask farmers what’s their biggest ongoing headache the most common answer by far is “staff”.
People are the key to the success of any business and finding and retaining the right people is a growing problem for UK farmers. A recent survey by the dairy cooperative Arla found that five in every six of their farmers, who tried to fill vacancies received very few applicants who were qualified to do the job – or none at all. This figure was 79% in 2021 but rose to 84% in 2024.
Arla say that the lack of suitable applicants for farming and food processing positions is now at a point where it threatens UK food security. The shortage of skilled workers is already having an impact on production. Six per cent of farmers surveyed have cut output, while 13% say they will leave farming within the next year if conditions do not improve.
I don’t want to spend time here going over the politics of recruiting foreign workers and other related matters here. The most important thing for me is learning how to attract and retain people with the skills you need.
Let’s start with a question: “How attractive are you?” No! Don’t stand in front of the mirror trying to hold your stomach in. I mean as a business and an employer what is it about you and your farm that is going to make good people want to come and work for you and stay with you?
I have been for many job interviews in my life and have always had the sense that the rules of engagement state that it is a privilege for the hopeful candidate to be deemed worthy of any consideration. The employer is the master and the candidate needs to impress. Well, sorry, those days have long gone. If you want skilled, dedicated and ambitious people who can make a really positive contribution to the future of your farm business, you have to be engaging, inspiring, trustworthy, open and honest.
Selling yourself and your farm to the kind of people you want to employ means there are a number of boxes you need to tick and you might be relieved to hear that a big salary isn’t the first thing most candidates want to hear about.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is being redefined as Millennials (born around 1980 to 1995) gradually take over the workforce. 35%-40% of employees today are millennials, making them the largest group around the world. These guys are not primarily driven by money; they want fulfilling experiences and they want room to grow and develop, as well as engage as part of a team and have time for social networking.
Now you might think that these aren’t the kind of people you are looking for to get up at 4am and milk 200 cows. But they are a large chunk of the labour pool of today across all industries. So how can you demonstrate you can meet their needs, or the needs of candidates from any age group for that matter?
Have you got a good reputation? I’m sorry to be direct, but it’s important. If I spoke to one or two of your employees what would they say about you? Can you share with me some glowing references from those who have been in your employment previously? Have you managed to retain staff for prolonged periods (say 5 years plus) and have they left for positive reasons – reasons like they have gained valuable experience with you and want to challenge themselves in a new role with more responsibility, or they want some different farming experience you can’t offer?
I know there are people out there who will promise the world when they come for an interview and turn out not to be the hardworking, friendly and dedicated team player they claimed after 2 weeks in the job (I have employed some of them). But it’s so important to try and really understand why things didn’t work out and they left so suddenly. Were they really just lazy and useless, or did it suddenly dawn on them that what they were being asked to do and what they were promised didn’t match what they were told in the recruitment process?
As employers it’s as important to understand why someone left the business as it is know why they wanted to join it. Exit interviews may sound like a strange exercise but they can provide valuable insight into how you are perceived as an employer.
There will always be obstacles in the recruitment game. For example, you can’t change the location of your farm. So, if you farm somewhere remote, you won’t get applications from those people looking for jobs near towns where they can go for shopping and entertainment at the weekend, no matter how much money you offer. If rumours are circulating that you are thinking about selling up in the next couple of years, this will put off applicants with young families looking for stability and schools for their children. If the farm appears run down, the yard is full of broken equipment and lame animals are hobbling out to pasture, you won’t get good people. I’m sorry but it’s a fact.
All this makes it sound like the chance of finding and retaining anyone with an ounce of knowledge about farming or a tiny bit of get up and go is almost zero. However, there is a lot you can do to improve your prospects of attracting that dynamic, good-humoured, dedicated and skilled individual. You just need to make sure you and your farm tick their boxes. In other words, you need to sell yourself and your farm to them.
Of course, engaging people begins with being friendly and approachable. But it also requires you to be clear about what you want from someone and what you can offer them (let’s not talk money here). What are you striving to achieve on your farm (something more inspiring than just “making a profit”)? What’s your vision for your farm 5 years from now? Why are you recruiting someone at this time (hopefully because you want to someone to help you take your business forward – not because the last bloke did a bunk at midnight last night)? Sell yourself to sell the job!
When it comes to what you can offer, refer to the wants and needs of those millennials I mentioned earlier. People want to work in businesses that are going somewhere and have a clear plan about how they will get there. They want to be part of a team and they want recognition for their achievements. But good communication is key to making it work and that starts at the top. Make time to talk to people rather than barking orders out of the pickup window as you dash off to pick up some parts for the tractor.
Hold regular team meetings and show that you are prepared to devote the time to meeting on an agreed regular basis. Saying “sorry I haven’t got time this week” isn’t good enough. Don’t be afraid to let everyone have their say and make sure you listen carefully to what is being said and feed back to your team on things you agreed would be done. Good people management is all about three things – communication, communication, communication.
Learn to delegate, learn to trust people, give them a chance to show what they can do, responsibility is a positive reward for people who want to achieve and progress. Denying people responsibility, denies them the room to grow and it is likely they will seek opportunities elsewhere.
Remember also that delegating more responsibility to people in your team will give you time to do other things. This might be a leisurely pursuit, or spending time with the family, but it also creates opportunities for you to spend a little less time working in your business and more time working on your business. Value your time as the head of that business at £100 an hour and ask yourself why you are doing a job that someone paid £20 an hour could be doing.
Retention is key. Losing people causes huge headaches and is extremely costly – not just in terms of recruiting a replacement but the cost of not getting jobs done in the meantime, the drop in moral amongst the rest of the team having to cover the jobs done by the departed team-mate, the time required to introduce someone new into the operation and another advert to be placed somewhere.
Investing people is all about investing your time and it is worth it. Inevitably people will leave you at some point, no matter how good an employer you are, whether it be due to a change in personal circumstances, a desire for a new challenge, or retirement. But if you have made yourself a really attractive employer, if your reputation is admired, you will have far better chance of finding the right replacement.
I have spent a lot of time running teams on farms and I haven’t always got things right. But I have learned a lot and I find nothing more rewarding than building a team that is united in their mission, has fun together and celebrates success. If you would like some help making your farm a great place to work, getting your team working effectively and creating happy individuals that want to stick around and achieve for you please get in touch.
Mobile: 07971 155199
Email: farmpro@btinternetcom
Author: Neil Darwent
A small family farm selling beef and lamb