Annabel Candy (FCG WhiteAvon)

Recently I have attended client meetings, and regardless of the farm type or system, the same issue keeps appearing in conversation, People.

The industry is constantly changing, and therefore farms need a dynamic team of people who can keep up with the continuous changes being made to running any farm.

It is also an industry under alot of scrutiny.  Staff need to be resilient and knowledgeable and be able to express to the public what they do and why.  This, I fear, is one reason that many of the younger generation are stepping away from agriculture, or don’t even know that this is an option for them in the future.  They are misinformed about what agriculture is, what is involved when working on a farm and the importance of farming to provide us with food.

Another issue which is apparent when employing farm staff is that farmers struggle to see that although this is their business and way of life, it is not their employees way of life, They don’t realise how an employee thinks so differently to the farmer.  The farmer and their family will have an emotional attachment to the business and livestock above that of any staff member.  This is, of course, expected.  However, the employee is only contracted to work certain hours, and their main incentive, at the end of it all, is money to live.

This can be seen as a negative thing in many ways, but if understood by all it can be managed well.  While creating a good relationship with the farm staff, you can achieve an organised and friendly working environment, which will attract people to work hard for each other, and learn to be passionate about the farm which they help to run.

Currently, the market favours employees rather than employers, with a lack of high-quality staff which are in demand.  Staff availability has decreased by 2.6% in the past 12 months, with 61% of all farm workers being the farmer themselves, directors of the business, business partners or spouses (DEFRA, 2024).  However, this decrease is set to continue.

Therefore, it is crucial that something changes to encourage more people towards what is a challenging but such a rewarding career.

If you would like to discuss how you can improve your farming working environment to become an Employer of Choice within the industry, please contact Annabel Candy on annabelcandy@fcgagric.com  or your local FCG Office.  As an independent person coming into your business from the outside, we can see things that you cannot.  We see farming businesses who are good at attracting people to work and good at retaining people.