A good team is worth its weight in gold and finding the right people, at the right time, with the right skills is vital for the success of your business. However, recruiting and managing people can feel like a daunting task.

In this episode of AHDB’s Food & Farming podcast, Kay Lane, AHDB's Agrileader Workforce Development Manager, chats to Kim Stafford, Director of U&I, and farmer Nicola Carr about people management. They discuss the challenge of recruitment and finding time to invest in your people, as well as how the farming sector has been upping its people management game over the last few years.

Kim has been working as a management coach, trainer and facilitator for 20 years. She specialises in service quality management, management development and coaching. Since completing her master’s degree in Total Quality Management, Kim has developed a distinctive approach that ensures any learning and development connects to business improvement. Kim’s clients get real results.

Nicola manages the team and logistics at Lincolnshire Farm Services and Bomber County Produce. They supply leeks and asparagus to major supermarkets and grow wheat, barley, oilseed rape and sugar beet. Bomber County Produce takes pride in producing a product that is both grown and packed in Lincolnshire. Working hard to improve the local environment there is a wide variety of flora and fauna flourishing on the farm. It is certified through several accreditation schemes, including Tesco Nurture, the British Retail Consortium, Linking the Environment and Farming (LEAF), and Assured Produce (the Red Tractor Scheme).

Are you building or managing a farm team? Find out everything you need to know about planning for, recruiting, managing and training a successful farming team on our website. 

There’s tips, tools and templates across a range of topics, from writing a job advert, holding interviews and building staff handbooks, to delegating, motivating and coaching teams. There’s also advice about running reviews and signposts to find out what to do when things don’t go to plan. 

Get to know the labour life cycle

7:00pm on 26 October: Recruiting people and how to be an employer of choice

7:00pm on 2 November: Onboarding people and getting off to the right start

7:00pm on 9 November: Managing people and getting the best from your team

7:00pm on 16 November: Developing people and being a great coach

7:00pm on 23 November: Progressing people isn’t always a promotion

Find out more about our AgriLeader programme and all the other activities we have on offer.

In April and May 2022, thousands of levy payers had a say on what work we should do in Shape the Future. Now we are taking the next step in delivering our promise to put levy payers at the heart of everything we do. 

Join our online event in November to see how we’ve put the issues that matter the most to you at the heart of our plans for each sector.  

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This episode was produced and edited by Miriam Drewett, Marcomms Manager (Pork).