Success for Castle Hayes Farm at the Cream Awards

You are currently viewing Success for Castle Hayes Farm at the Cream Awards

A Staffordshire dairy farming business has scooped the inaugural Commitment to People Award at this year’s Cream Awards, after investing heavily in staff training and communication.

Speaking after the event, which British Dairying hosted on 5 September, Paul Harris, CEO of REAL Success, who proposed and sponsored the Commitment to People Award, said: “I’m delighted that this new award has brought some much-needed focus so the vital area of people management in our sector.

“Rupert and his management team have worked hard to recognise the efforts of their team, have invested in their training and created a strong set of core values for the group.  I’m delighted that the judges recognised this in their submission.”

So how has this been achieved?

The REAL Success team have worked closely with the team at Castle Hayes Farm, near Tutbury to develop the people management approach, including staff training to improve team dynamics, communication skills and recruitment techniques on the 404ha spring-calving dairy unit.

Rupert decided to work with REAL Success after his farm manager, Will Sanders, heard Paul speak at a discussion group meeting. “Will thought it would be a good idea to have Paul come to the farm and work with the team directly; it was a ‘yes’ straight away from me,” says Rupert.

So in February 2021, Paul and the REAL Success team began working with the team. “I think the management of any team of people is a hard thing to do, but it’s also the most rewarding – personally and for the business,” explains Rupert.

Paul regularly visits the farm to work with the team. “During the time he has been coming here he has done a four-module training course with the core team, which was very good.”

The training has also been beneficial in understanding human behaviour. “People are different; everyone has different strengths, different ways in which they are best managed, and bring different things to the team,” notes Rupert. “And for people managing those below them, Paul has a fantastic phrase, which is ‘dial up or dial down’ your own style, which is a great reminder for changing how you communicate to your team.”

The work with REAL Success has also allowed personal development for the team. “Will, our Farm Manager has developed fantastically in the five years he’s been working for me, and a chunk of that is being able to manage himself and others,” notes Rupert. “I know people pick things up as they go along, but having support and structured training in this area is very valuable.

“For me, it’s the key that unlocks the door. I think we can find the technical industry learnings easily through things like AHDB, whereas managing people and self-management is quite personal to each member of the team. That’s why we’ve been working with REAL Success to help us all in this area.”

Overall, Rupert believes it has been a very positive experience for everyone.  “It has enabled us all to grow – me as much as anyone; we’ve all learned a lot and enjoyed it. We were aiming for a settled, happy, productive team that worked well to achieve excellent results – I think we’re a lot closer to that than ever before.”

Rupert is passionate about the team and the impact they can make on the farm. “You could have a great herd, a good farm and a good team, and you’ll get a good outcome. But if you have a great team, all you need is a good farm and a good herd of cows,” he says.

“It’s only the team that will allow the expression of the capacity for profit and production that the farm and the cows can have.”