Milly Fyfe: recruitment and retention – How can we improve?

There’s no hiding behind the fact that labour is a huge concern for many food and farming businesses. Speak to any business owner about what they have the most difficulty with or spend more time than they’d like on, and they’d probably say ‘recruitment and retention.’  

Attracting skilled people from a diverse range of backgrounds can be a challenge when the perception is that you’d be working long hours, taking part in back-breaking work for a low wage and limited time off.  

Looking from the outside in, I can see those challenges head on. I’m not originally from a farming background, but I grew up in a rural area. Despite many barriers, I've (with determination) carved out my own career in the industry and wanted to share some insight.  

It’s not been an easy journey for me, partly because I’ve not had the capital behind me and I wasn’t born into agriculture, but also because I am a young woman. But as I’ve alluded to, I'm motivated, not afraid of a challenge, and my life motto (or internal drumbeat) always speaks to me saying, ‘Dare to be different.’ 

Young Farmers

At secondary school, I was the only student to choose Agriculture (with Business and Management) as the direction of choice after A levels. That route wasn’t chosen because I had career advice or because my parents or wider family farmed; it was because, at the age of 14, I joined my local Young Farmers’ Club.  

Forming friendships with other young people who lived and worked on local farms gave me an insight into how passionate and caring those people were for the environment and the community around them. I’d take part in public speaking, stock judging, and cooking competitions and organise social events to raise money for charities and good causes. I was inspired.  

I also gained many life skills you wouldn’t learn through the education system. How to budget for an event, chair a meeting, work as part of a team and speak in front of a crowd. It gave me confidence, a network of people who now hold some of the top jobs in our sector, and greater employment opportunities as I had such a varied CV.  

After university, I stood on my own feet and quickly learned to budget for the rent, bills, and food before spending any surplus on socialising. But working mainly for the not-for-profit sector and membership organisations, the salaries and development opportunities were limited. 

Sponsorship and professional development

So, along the way, I’d see opportunities to apply for grant funding and sponsorship to help with my personal and professional development to attend conferences, events, leadership courses, and join networks. These included the Challenge of Rural Leadership course from the Worshipful Company of Farmers, the Windsor Leadership programme, the Oxford Farming Conference, Women in Food and Farming, and the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists.

On top of all this, I became the youngest woman not from a farming background to receive an associateship from the Royal Agricultural Societies. I’ve used the learning from these experiences to establish my own business in the farming industry, giving me a chance to give back and make a difference. That's what's most important to me.