Collage Maker 13 Jul 2023 03 30 PM 8458

UK Farmers – Busy Around the Clock

There are not many jobs as difficult as farming. The long hours completing back breaking work will have to be completed in sun, rain, or hail. There are very, very few days off for UK farmers. 

The long days of hard work take their toll, according to a new Farmers Weekly study. UK farmers are struggling silently and searching for ways to improve their work-life balance.  

UK farmers will work 65-hour weeks on average, which massively exceeds the UK national average of 37 hours. However, some growers and livestock producers will regularly work in excess of 100 hours per week, with days off only being taken once in a blue moon. 

The recent study earmarked the beginning of a new campaign highlighting the importance of healthy farmers to healthy farm businesses. The study survey received upwards of 700 responses from farm managers and workers between August and September.  

The responses categorically tear up the widely held notion of an idyllic rural lifestyle lived by UK farmers. 

The origins of stress are likely centred on time, health, workload, and relationships, according to the results of the study. Regular issues were things like cashflow problems, too much work, too little time and feeling unable to leave the farm to be with family and friends. 

The results of the survey – UK Farmers are the Nation’s hardest workers 

  • Around half of respondents were only able to take a regular day off once or twice a month. A quarter stated that they only managed to do so only once or twice a year. 
  • Farmers take around 11 days of annual leave per year, on average. All UK workers are entitled to a minimum of 28 days paid holiday each year. 10% of respondents do not take any holiday days at all. 
  • Two thirds of respondents had taken a short break or holiday in the last year. A third of respondents stated that this was less than three nights away. 

How do UK farmers spend their hard-earned time? 

  • 90% of respondents will participate in non-farming activities, but these are often likely to be farm discussion groups (19%) and other farm networks (18%). 
  • Respondents feel more positive about their physical health than their mental wellbeing. 
  • Two thirds (64%) believe they are in good physical shape, compared to 55% when it comes to how they feel mentally.  
  • Almost half of farmers say they do not exercise outside of work. For those that do, sport is frequently a welcome break. 46% of respondents belong to a local sports club or gym, 13% to a rugby club, 5% to a cricket club, and 5% belonging to a football club. 
  • One in 10 of respondents believed that their daily work was limited by a health problem, long-term illness, or disability. A quarter (27%) have not had a medical check-up in the past year. 
  • One in 10 respondents had been injured in a farm accident in the past year, with a further 6% being involved in a work-related accident but managing to escape uninjured. 

What do Farmers want to know more about? 

What Farmers Want to Know More About Percentage of Farmers Wanting to Know More 
Balancing work, family, and time off 40% 
Managing tiredness and fatigue 39% 
Stress management 28% 
How not to worry about work 25% 
Time management 22% 
Problem-solving techniques 16% 
How to plan for retirement 13% 
How to resolve conflict 11% 

The farming Calander – When do you find the time to renew? 

January 

Usually a brief point of respite, but not long until thoughts turn to slurry, silage, and hay. Livestock farmers will be thinking about weaning calves in the final weeks of January. January is usually a good time to start thinking about preparation and maintenance, including repair, cleaning work, and machinery checks 

February 

February is likely filled by continuing on with maintenance checklists before potentially spreading slurry as and when the weather improves and temperatures become milder. February is a very short month, and calving always comes around much faster than expected. 

March 

March is undoubtedly known as calving season, indicating a very busy month ahead looking after lambs and ewes 24/7. This period is exhausting for farmers and usually requires weeks if not months of preparation. Slurry spreading will continue through March, along with sowing sugar beet,  

April 

Calving will continue throughout April, with ear tagging and passport identification being the main task. Lambing season will come to an end with the end of April, but thoughts will now turn to protecting stock from predators. Grazing fields will be fertilised and cereal crops will need to be sprayed with fertiliser and pesticides. 

May 

Livestock will stop grazing the silage field before spreading fertiliser to induce the growth needed before silaging. Lambs continue on with tagging before having their tails cut and undergoing castration. Crops will continue to be sprayed, muck spread, and general cleaning of livestock housing will be undertaken. 

June 

June is a month for shearing, grooming, and bathing to tackle worms, disease, and increase wellbeing. Calves will begin to be dehorned. Silaging will carry on throughout June and the haymaking process will begin. The summer sun signals the beginning of show season as farmers showcase their stock. 

July 

Lambs will be vaccinated, bathed, and sheered before the very best will be sold at auction or sent for slaughter. Arable farmers will continue on with haymaking and silage collection, potatoes will be treated with pesticides, and the combine season for cereal crops will commence. 

August 

August for most is a continuation of July tasks, with silage and combine harvesting being the two central jobs. Ploughing and cultivating cereal crops for the new year will also be on the mind of many. Spring lambs will be running around fields throughout August and September, reaping the benefits of aftermath grazing. 

September 

Harvesting crops will continue on throughout September with ploughing and cultivation work kicking back into gear. Drilling and sowing will begin for barley, oilseed rape, and winter wheat. The weaning window will continue through until September and farmers will look to auction off female sheep. 

October 

Arable farmers will be seeking to cultivate and drill wheat to prepare for the crop yield in the new year – potatoes and sugar beet being harvested in October too. Many will take on the large task of cutting back hedges around the farm, which will likely continue on through to the new year until Spring. Livestock farmers will have calves weaned and brought into housing before the bad weather hits.  

November 

Winter is rapidly approaching as grazing grass dies, farmers will be feeding their livestock and keeping them protected from the weather inside cattle sheds. Wheat drilling will carry on before finishing at the mid-way point of the month. 

December 

Christmas is rather low down on the agenda for farmers, as the reduced daylight time makes daily tasks much more difficult. Cereal crops will be sprayed over the course of the month, cattle will be fed and housed due to the lack of grazing feed. Cows will have to be milked as usual. 

For farmers, the festive season is low down on the agenda, behind a busy month of ploughing, which will be made increasingly difficult by the reduced daylight time. Cereal crops will also be sprayed over the course of the month. 

Where do you find the time? Why Farming and Energy Brokerage go Hand-in-Hand  

One thing that is universal with all sectors of farming is the long hours and physically demanding nature of the job.  

After a long shift the last thing you want to do is to return home and think about energy. Dealing with suppliers, complex calculations, paperwork, long phone calls, complex jargon, and even more paperwork…  

We don’t blame you.  

Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone on your side to alleviate the load when it comes to energy?   

That’s when partnering with an energy procurement specialist comes in handy. Acting as a knowledgeable consultant for everything energy, they’ll keep you on the best possible energy contract available to you. Saving you money and time to spend on whatever else you’d rather be doing.  

Energy Solutions by Us, for You        

At a time of great uncertainty in global energy markets, it is easy to feel lost in it all.       

Keeping up to date with developing situations and the associated ramifications is a tricky and time-consuming job. It is also one that is not likely a priority for you and your business.     

So, what do you do?      

You partner with energy procurement experts to take the load off of your desk.      

Energy Solutions have been trusted brokers for countless businesses for over twenty years, which means we know how to navigate the energy markets during a time of uncertainty.      

 Contact us today to find out how we can help you and your business      

Website: https://www.energybrokers.co.uk/   

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Email: nick@energybrokers.co.uk   

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