When it comes to training on farm, the biggest mistakes often happen when the trainer isn’t equipped to teach properly. And in most farming businesses, your trainers are the owners, managers, or 2ICs – the very people whose days are already packed. That’s why it pays to think carefully about how you approach training and where you put your time.
Match Your Training Effort to the Risk
The first question to ask is: what’s the risk to your business if this task isn’t done right first time?
If the risk is low, a quick explanation and supervised attempt might be fine.
But what if getting it wrong could mean a penalty grade, animal welfare breach, environmental compliance issue, or dent to staff morale? Then your training needs to be much more thorough.
Mistakes are costly – not just in time spent fixing them, but also in frustration for managers and owners. That’s why it makes sense to invest more time training when the stakes are high.
Build Practical On-Farm Training
Effective training doesn’t have to mean complicated manuals or systems, especially on smaller farms. The best training often happens simply by spending time alongside your team:
Work shoulder-to-shoulder so staff can watch, ask questions, and have a go themselves.
Buddy up newer team members with those who are strong in particular skills.
Talk through not just what you’re doing, but why – linking it to business outcomes, industry reputation, or how it impacts the bottom line. People feel smarter and more valued when they understand the bigger picture.
Remember: people tend to live up (or down!) to your expectations. If you treat them like they’re capable of understanding the whole story, they usually will.
Understand How People Learn
Everyone learns differently. Good trainers use a mix of approaches – showing, explaining, supervising, then letting people try on their own. It’s about finding the combination that works for the person and the skill.
Also, don’t underestimate the power of feedback. Give it in a timely, calm way that focuses on the action, not the person. If something’s not right, flag it, correct it, and move on so your team heads home knowing exactly how to do it better next time.
Bottom Line – Invest in Your People
At the end of the day, investing time into training your people well means fewer mistakes, a safer farm, better compliance – and staff who stay longer because they feel confident and valued. That’s a pretty compelling business case.
