Assistant Herd Manager - Wiltshire

Assistant Herd Manager – Wiltshire

Shift pattern – 11 in 14

£38,000-45,000 per year, DOE

Accommodation available depending on your needs

Training provided to develop your career

Essential Criteria:

• Demonstrate previous experience in agriculture and dairy cow management
• Have strong communication skills, being able to motivate and lead a team

Our farm

We are a family-owned, award-winning mixed farming business in North Wiltshire. Animal welfare and farming sustainably for the future are at the top of our list of priorities, as is ensuring our team is well looked after and has a good work/life balance. We farm 850 ha with dairy, Wagyu beef, and arable enterprises.

The dairy enterprise comprises 400 Holstein-Friesian cows and 300 home-bred replacements, milking on a new Lely set-up (Seven A5 Next Astronauts). We have a split-seasonal calving pattern (autumn and spring), with our milk being sold to a leading retailer. Records are kept using Uniform/Lely Horizon, and we have embraced modern technology (including: Cow Manager, Cattle Eye and Feedlync) to aid the day-to-day management/running of our herd.

Your role

As an Assistant Herd Manager, you will lead the dairy team alongside the farm owners. This is a cow-focused position with key roles and responsibilities including:

• Overall management and responsibility of the herd and ensuring animal welfare is the top priority.
• Leading and managing the dairy team effectively.
• Taking full control of dry cow management, calving cows, and colostrum protocols.
• Working closely with the farm owners to agree on and deliver agreed KPIs, financial budgets, and herd targets
• Liaising with vets, nutritionists and farm consultants, with the support of the farm owners
• Grazing management.
• AI & Foot trimming.
• Utilising the data provided by Uniform and Lely Horizon.
• Farm machinery and maintenance (to include maintenance of LELY A5 Next Astronauts and Lely Discovery Collectors.
• Ensuring the overall farm is kept tidy and safe to operate.

• AI (essential) and foot trimming (preferred) qualifications.
• Be able to work well as part of a team, possessing the skills and experience required to communicate and work effectively with others, leading and motivating hem on a day-to-day basis to achieve target KPIs.
• Be a highly motivated and organised individual, with good attention to detail.
• Have the capabilities to be decisive and adapt quickly to different situations
• Share our passion for optimising animal health and welfare and for farming sustainably for the future.
• Full UK Driving License.
• Proof of UK Right to Work

• Our current shift pattern is 11 in 14 with every other weekend off.
• 9 hour days with time off in lieu of night checks.
• £38,000 – £45,000 per year, depending on experience
• Accommodation available depending on your needs
• A great opportunity to drive the business forward.