Labour is a critical factor in the cost price of a dairy farm. Labor is expensive and compared to other agricultural branches, dairy farming is quite labour-intensive. In addition, it is increasingly challenging to obtain staff, let alone qualified personnel. Working harder does not solve the shortage of labour. But what can you do to increase labour efficiency at your farm?
Major differences
As a dairy farmer, you work day and night. The work is never done. But do you want to maintain this profession for a lifetime, and make your farm attractive to external staff? Then a healthy workload is crucial. Irish research from Teagasc shows that labour efficiency varies enormously between farms ranging from 51 hours to 70 hours per week1. The good news: this shows there’s room for improvement! Teagasc also estimates the cost of family labour on farms as ranging from €12 to €44, depending on herd size2. It’s clear both time and money can be saved with the right tools.
5 tips for more labour efficiency:
1. Outsource work.
Can you delegate tasks? Insemination is a task that can be outsourced. With labour needs increasing in the busy spring season, anything that can be outsourced can pay dividends. By automating heat detection with, for example, Nedap’s activity moniotrs, and leaving AI to a dedicated technician, labour efficiency increases and fertility performance on the farm increases.
2. Good communication.
Work according to standardized procedures. Make sure these procedures are clear to all employees and communicate clearly with each other about the progress and status at the farm. Use the (personalized) work and attention lists from Nedap Now, or use whiteboards and planning boards. This way, all employees know what needs to be done that day and no tasks are forgotten.
3. Invest in more efficient systems.
Milking time often already covers 25 to 50% of the working hours on a dairy farm. This naturally increases when the farm expands. It can be a good time to invest in a more efficient milking parlour or perhaps a milking robot. Take labour efficiency, susceptibility to failure and simplicity of operation (even less skilled personnel must be able to work with it) into account. What about cow flow and auto drafting?
4. Make use of modern technology.
Things like heat detection and health monitoring can be fully automated. It saves a lot of labour and can give a boost to the well-being and performance of the cows on your farm. Technology operates 24/7, doesn’t get tired or sick, and doesn’t take holidays. It’s basically your most loyal and efficient employee.
5. Create a pleasant working atmosphere.
An attractive salary is of course an advantage to attract and retain good staff. But personal responsibility, mutual trust and being able to contribute to relevant decisions, is often highly appreciated by employees. Just as good communication and flexible, reasonable working hours contribute to a pleasant working climate, it certainly benefits the labour productivity at your company.
Analyse, choose and automate!
Do you also want to work more efficiently on your dairy farm? See where you can save time and automate repetitive, labour-intensive tasks. This way, you have more space for management tasks….. or you have more free time!
1: https://teagasc.ie/news–events/daily/becoming-the-50-hour-farmer-reducing-workload-on-dairy-farms/
2: https://teagasc.ie/news–events/daily/under-the-shadow/
