Dairy farmers are in a period of strong financial performance, however there is no hiding from the fact that it requires hard work. With long-term sustainability and generational renewal in mind, making work easier and more flexible is becoming increasingly important.

As part of the recently published Aurivo Farm Profitability Programme 2024-2026 Focus Farmer 2024 Review, actions the five Focus Farmers are taking to tackle workload challenges on-farm were showcased, while all the time prioritising financially, environmentally and socially sustainable dairy systems.

Through the Aurivo Profitability Programme, workload is being addressed on each farm, facilitating the sharing of actions and practices Focus Farmers are following to reduce workload, relieve pressure and strike a balance between work and life with farmers in the wider Aurivo catchment.

Commenting on a labour study undertaken with the Focus Farmers in 2024, Teagasc Advisor on the Aurivo Joint Programme, John McCabe explained: “From a work/life balance and generational renewal point of view, it is important to try and make work easier and sustainable in the long term.

“To make farms attractive places to work, there also needs to be an increased focus on implementing practices to facilitate time off to pursue off-farm interests or simply to rest and recover before peak labour points in the farming year.

“To assess the workload practices on the Aurivo Focus Farms, we undertook a labour structure and labour-saving practices survey in 2024. This not only served to quantify what practices worked well within the group but facilitated the regular sharing of labour-saving messages among farmers supplying the Aurivo milk pool.”

Some of the key findings from the study were:

• 132 milkings done by someone other than the main operator
• The average milking interval was 9.5 hours (min. 9 to max. 10.5)
• Average days off per year was 16
• The average time to finishing up in the summer was 6.50pm

While the Focus Farmers have some very positive performance in certain aspects of labour and working hours, John McCabe added, some have significant scope to further enhance management practices, particularly around evening milking time. There is also significant scope to utilise relief milkers in order to take more days off.

Saying that though, there were some extremely efficient practices ongoing on the Focus Farms. Of note are: 250+ milkings were done by someone else on 40% of the farms; 60% of the farms milk eight rows of cows or less; 100% of the farms have automatic cluster removers; and 40% engage in contract rearing, easing the labour input required for the management of youngstock.

Going forward, John McCabe explained: “The direction of travel for the group is towards more profit and less work. Starting evening milking earlier will be a key target for Focus Farmers, as will increasing the amount of days off through hiring staff to milk at weekends.”

Case study: Labour efficiency in action on an Aurivo Focus Farm

Jason Coulter farms 130 cows, 35-40 replacement heifers and 60-70 beef – selling them as weanlings and stores. The farm is split up by a roadway too, so moving cows is by no means straightforward, as it requires crossing and walking up a road.

Jason employs Owen Golden who has been with him for eight years. Owen does roughly 39 hours a week. Jason milks every morning, and Owen comes in at 7.30am just as milking is finishing up and Owen milks every afternoon. The weekends are shared between them. Sometimes one will do Saturday and the other will do Sunday, or alternate weekends. Owen typically works 7.30am-1pm and 3pm-5.45pm.

Commenting on how this arrangement is benefitting the farm, Jason Coulter said: “The flexibility to have someone that is milking in the afternoon is great. It’s hard to put a price on that and on the ability to plan things, be it work or with my wife and kids.

“It’s fine to be working really hard and making loads of money but it’s no use to you if you’re not around or if it puts you in an early grave,” Jason explained.

Attesting to the benefits of employing labour, Jason added: “The place would shut down without the help. I couldn’t maintain the level of work. Well, I could but I wouldn’t get the performance and I’d be wrecked.”

Jason also spends about €50 per cow employing local young people at calves/tractor work/general work.

For more insights from the Teagasc/Aurivo Programme, visit here.

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