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Developing people in agriculture
Monday, 15 August 2022
‘Developing People in Agriculture’ was one of the topics discussed in the Pig Forum at this year’s British Pig and Poultry Fair. AHDB’s Mark Campbell and Izak Van Heerden chaired the open panel sessions, which focused on the steps needed to recruit, train, and develop staff.
The panel of farmers shared their experiences on staff recruitment processes, motivation, and retention. Panellists included dairy farmers, Karen Halton, Joe Delves and Will Armitage, pig producer Nick Lawson and sheep and arable farmer Rob Hodgkins.
They discussed the opportunities available in agriculture as well as the need to have the right people on their farms. They shared that people are their main source of inspiration as they develop people within their businesses and echoed the fulfilment of seeing an employee from a non-agricultural background grow to fit their business and culture.
The panel highlighted that what a business does when it is not recruiting affects it when it is. They stressed that when finding the right person for your business, strict processes, competitive renumeration packages and making agricultural recruitment feel normal must be in place.
Key points to take away
- Ensure individuals in a team fit and connect as a cohesive unit
- Do not take things personally
- Adapt your leadership and management to the individual – learn and understand what makes your employees tick