Shropshire Farming Talk: The challenges of battling to beat weather

We would normally hope that by mid to late October we would be winding up the job a little but trying to beat the weather, which has seen unseasonably warm autumn spells replaced by regular heavy rain, has been tough going.

We have got so used to comparatively dry years, particularly over the last two summers, that a run of wet weather can seem testing.

I am fortunate that I have a good team around me at Bradford Estates, who are willing to do the extra hours when needed.

The investment made in our staff year-round and our appreciation of their efforts means they work together in difficult times.

Anyone who works in farming knows you cannot be remote from the action for long when everyone needs to pull together.

I have been in the office less than normal this autumn, which helps to motivate the team when they are up against it as they can see you are there as the manager to play your part to help them get the job done.

Farming is perceived as an industry that needs to move with the times, against a backdrop of modern working where hybrid patterns are common for those who can work online, something you cannot do with agricultural farming.

From my perspective, there are some common sense ways of varying the work and encouraging people to feel valued which can go a long way.

Small things like buying breakfasts in or getting food together can make a big difference.

Our guys recognise that Bradford Estates support them, even if we do some traditional activities which may seem old fashioned in a fast paced, increasingly digital world.

We had a table at the Blymhall Farmers Discussion Group dinner recently, offered to the farms team as an appreciation of their efforts so they could socialise with local neighbours.

It is important to recognise everyone is in the same boat, particularly at a time when we all face so much uncertainty about the cost of living and the economy.

On the formal side, we ensure colleagues go to events to build and improve their farming knowledge particularly around the winter months.

This can be attending events on soil and pesticides going to talks on the latest technology or taking part in training on the equipment we use to stay up to date as it is regularly updated.

As an industry, wherever budgets allow we need to ensure we upskill our staff to make the industry as attractive as possible for people to want to stay.

Oliver Scott is Farms Director at Bradford Estates