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Agriculture Livestock Skills Needs

We understand your training and development needs.

 

Environmental management

You have a unique responsibility for managing the countryside as 75% of land in the UK is under agricultural management. You need to manage your environmental footprint as well as react to increasing regulation and climate change, whilst producing food and protecting your most precious resources – soil and water – at the same time.

Technical

Ongoing research and development is vital to the future of agriculture and increasing scientific and technical research results need to be adopted in practices on farm. You will require additional technical skills such as the agronomy of crops and management of livestock diseases and biosecurity to suit changing weather patterns and managing renewable energy technology.

Computing

The introduction of electronic identification (EID) of sheep, and EID as a management tool, is an example of developing Information Technology training needs. Computers are now widespread within agriculture - used in highly complex tractors and machinery for soil, as well as yield mapping called precision farming, in diagnosing machinery problems, and even in the robotic milking machines for dairy cows.

Business skills – linked to the high proportion of self-employed workers

You must be multi-talented and have the skills to manage all aspects of your business. In most cases, you will be responsible for overall business skills such as managing staff, budgeting and record keeping, keeping up-to-date with increasing regulatory requirements, managing livestock and crops production systems, purchasing and marketing, as well as actually carrying out the day-to-day farm work.

Clear guidance on sources and access to funding

We have been listening. You said it was complicated and time-consuming to find funding and support for you and your business. We have created a special tool that does some of the hard work for you and points you in the right direction.

To find out more about Fund Finder and all the ways we can help you, click here.

Other training requirements at different job levels within the industry

Semi-skilled staff

• Health and safety awareness
• Basic machiney operation
• General animal husbandry skills
• Basic skills (numeracy and literacy

Skillled staff

• Health and safety awareness
• Pesticides
• Telescopic forklift handler
• Computing
• Animal husbandry
• Environmental awareness
   

Owner/ manager

• Health and safety management
• Financial personnel, risk, business and change
• Computing and ICT
• Environmental Management