Youngstock Manager in Basingstoke

Are you an experienced Dairy Professional? Do you have experience working with youngstock? Have you got a passion for maintaining high standards of animal health and welfare?

The Job Role: We are seeking a dedicated youngstock enthusiast to join an organic dairy team in Cheshire. The primary responsibility of this role is to manage the health welfare of a jersey dairy, and longhorn beef calves. The ideal candidate will be passionate about dairy farming, have a strong work ethic, and be result orientated in maintaining high standards of animal welfare. A positive, can-do attitude to fit in with the team dynamic would be a must for this role.

Location: Cheshire

Working Hours: 45 hours per week (Annualised contract peaks and troughs)

Salary Package: Paying Up To £36,000 Basic Salary Depending on Skills and Experience + Accommodation to be Discussed

Key Responsibilities:

• Take ownership for performance of calves from our Autumn and Spring Blocks. From point of calving, all the way through to being in calf.
• Harvesting colostrum with use of store and thaw machine.
• Making sure 5'Qs of colostrum are met and recorded.
• Tagging calves, input of data into handbooks then onto Uniform-Agri.
• Mob Grassland management experience would be of benefit.
• Block calving experience would be of benefit.
• Present and work alongside farm manager during busy calving period.
• AI along with walking cows to drive submission through heifer serving windows.
• Monitor calf signals: Record calf weights throughout period, and make call on sale or service dates.
• Meet performance targets set by the team, vets and calf specialists.
• Build a strong relationship with estate teams, vets, nutritionists.
• Active communication on WhatsApp groups, emails and utilising our on-farm PO System.
• Attention to detail. Being on it, using communication skills to improve other staff.
• Be open to jump on milking team and help at points during the week and into weekends, help daily milking of cows using modern milking equipment, ensuring efficient and hygienic collection of milk.

Youngstock and Herd Health Management:

• Observe and monitor the health of the calves, identifying signs of illness or distress.
• Assist with veterinary treatments, vaccinations, and health checks as required.
• Maintain accurate records of herd health, treatments, and weights and add onto teams WhatsApp groups.

Fertility - Youngstock:

• Walk heifers twice a day in the winter (Housing), once a day in the summer (Fields).
• Identify cows to serve on WhatsApp group (Data collected and compared internally for performance).
• Submissions to be over 80% for the herd. Ideally 90%.

Feeding and Nutrition:

• Monitor feed and water intake and make report and decisions on this.
• Grass walking (Not crucial, and can train on grass feeding for YS).

Calving Assistance:

• Assist with calving block, ensuring the health and safety of both cows and calves and ensure cows are brought in parlour at end of milking for teams to harvest colostrum.

General Farm Duties:

• Keep the farms and the working areas immaculate.
• Assist with pasture management, including moving cattle, maintaining fencing, and managing grazing areas.
• Perform other general farm duties as needed, such as operating machinery and assisting with maintenance tasks.
• Lead and be present during Vet visits.
• Make sure all youngstock are looked after and delegate team members to oversee.
• Clean and tidy farm.
• Clean water troughs weekly.
• Present solutions for improvements.

Candidate Requirements:

• Experience in dairy farming, especially calves and youngstock.
• Strong observational skills to monitor the health and behaviour of the herd.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team, with excellent time management skills.
• Valid driver's license; additional certifications (e.g., AI certification, veterinary skills) are a plus.

How to apply: Please click on the APPLY NOW button. Please send your CV to Angel Bains - Recruitment Delivery Consultant.

As we are a specialist recruitment business within the Agricultural and Farming industry, we do require that ALL applicants must hold an NVQ Level 2, Scottish NVQ Level 2 or an equivalent qualification which is relevant and necessary for the job that you are applying for.

We thank all applicants who apply for this role. However, please be advised that only those shortlisted for an interview will be contacted. Please be assured that your job application will be managed in complete confidence and your personal details will not be passed to any third party without your prior permission.