Insightful

With farming often viewed as a career for life, the need to upskill employees to increase motivation or improve staff retention has become a widely accepted concept. Hannah Binns reports.

With maize drilling likely to start in less than 10 weeks, now is the time to finalise the details of managing the crop.

Choosing the right varieties of maize to facilitate early harvesting, while also maximising yield and feed value, is essential to maintain herd performance and minimise damage to soils.

Employing students is not just of benefit to the student, securing valuable experience to launch a career after graduation. Clemmie Gleeson speaks to an estate manager and farm owner who believe students bring welcome gains to their enterprises, and to the students who benefited from their commitment.

As the weather turned wet in early October, the 2020 maize harvest could be described as a tale of two halves.

Helping to motivate, inspire and guide staff to achieve their best can help a farm business thrive. In the first of a two-part feature, Clemmie Gleeson speaks to two farmers who, although from different sectors and backgrounds, let their staff know what they do matters and is appreciated.

The problem with parasites in dairy cattle is the often invisible impact. If left uncontrolled, parasite infections in youngstock and adult cows can lead to a reduction in lifetime milk production and fertility.

Staff are the key to any business, but why can farmers, who are also employers, be sometimes reluctant to secure the best team around them? And why is it so important to a business’ bottom line? Clemmie Gleeson finds out more.

When your summer feeding regime is restricted to grazing alone, winter takes on an added importance. Beef producer Paul Thomas tells Farmers Guardian how he improves cow condition and speeds up youngstock performance from November to May.

Farmers who selected an early maturing maize variety this year will be reflecting on a timely harvest and looking forward to high feed quality from their 2020 crop.