Not so, if you are as organised as South Wairarapa dairy farmer Stuart Weatherstone. He has 2000 jersey cows and eight full-time staff but is quite relaxed when it comes to the festive season.
Stuart’s secret to a successful holiday season is careful planning. His farm team works hard, as per their normal roster, with 11 days on and three days off, until December 20.
By then, the busy time of calving, mating, harvesting grass and planting summer crops is over and pasture covers are carefully managed and built up ready for the summer break.
During the holiday period the numbers are reduced to a skeleton staff of five, which means that each staff member has 10 to 12 days off, either over the Christmas or New Year period. Workload is reduced to a minimum. Enough grass cover on hand means that summer turnip crops won’t be fed until the middle of January and irrigation is pulled back to a minimum and turned off on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
Stuart reckons that the second secret of managing the summer break is keeping staff motivated. He said when staff are at work they need to be focussed on what they are doing, even if others are having a holiday.
He said it’s easy for staff at work to get caught up in the holiday mood and to “take their eye off the ball”.
Stuart is right to be focused on motivating staff during this period because lost production in summer due to lack of attention to detail is very difficult to regain. So on his farm, the broken water trough gets fixed, even on Christmas Day, grazing management is as sharp as it would be any other time of the year, and lame cows get treated promptly.
Often farmers look to involve relief staff to keep their dairy farms running during this time.
Every year we hear stories about things that have gone wrong because staff were unsure about what needed to happen. It’s important that they have access to written instructions and procedures and are given training before they are left to it.
It may be worth considering a short orientation for new relief staff. The website www.peoplesmart.co.nz has some good ideas. Ensuring both full-time and relief staff know exactly what needs to be done will mean the farm runs smoothly and everyone is happy.
Giving staff a good break in summer is extremely important. Stuart considers the summer break to be the halfway point in the season. A good holiday with family or friends is good for body and mind. After the break the staff come back refreshed and keen to tackle the rest of the season.
Whether you have one staff member or 10, be prepared early, make sure the whole team is clear on what is expected, set up a roster that suits everyone and enjoy a relaxing and productive holiday season.
Leo Hendrikse is DairyNZ consulting officer for Wairarapa/Tararua.
