Is it the recession, the increasing cost of energy, or just the practical nature of those working in landbased industries?  Whatever is the cause, some 50 per cent of our readers claim that they turn towards extra clothing and bedsocks rather than cranking up the thermostat when the weather turns chilly. A further 35 per cent claim that they try to reduce drafts whilst 14 per cent just turn up the heating. Wonder whether they are the same people who don’t care about carbon footprint (see story below!)

91 per cent of people who work in the land-based industries believe that their job provides more satisfaction than other industries.

That’s one of the findings from research that we’ve recently conducted, which also showed that 89 per cent of workers would recommend a land-based career to a young person.

Other findings:

• 55 per cent felt that they were safer in a land-based job during a time of economic recession than if they worked in other industries
• 88 per cent felt that practical experience was more important than qualifications
• 20 per cent of those surveyed were currently seeking work as a result of redundancy and 26 per cent had no relevant sector experience

Recent independent research has indicated a need for a significant increase in workers in the sector, particularly in agriculture, and our findings would seem to suggest that the economic recession is already bringing some new faces to our industry. Check out the latest jobs and land-based vacancies here.

In a recent poll on our website 70 percent of respondents claimed that they were actively trying to reduce their carbon footprint. Whilst this makes for encouraging reading, rather worryingly nearly 6 percent claimed to not even know what a carbon footprint is, with the remaining 24 per cent stating that they know exactly what it is but are not bothered!

With the New Year still fresh in our minds and cold weather causing slippery conditions now might be a good time to evaluate your Health and Safety policies and procedures to ensure you are adequately protected. Remember, you have a duty of care to employees and visitors/ customers and can be fined and or prosecuted if you are not shown to have taken suitable precautions to protect health and safety. Not only that but your employees also have obligations and so training is an important part of keeping safe. If you haven’t reviewed Health & Safety for a while then take some time to conduct a risk assessment, review your policies and consider staff training. If you are thinking about recruiting someone then it is also worth considering how you incorporate this important subject into his or her induction. Most importantly, keep safe in 2010.

For some people in the workforce the concept of working inside is not only depressing but it is also an unacceptable work environment. The thought of going to work each day, sitting at a nondescript desk in a small office or cubicle and doing the same tasks over and over again is enough to drive them crazy.

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For some, then, the only option is outside work but why?

There are many reasons why people choose outside occupations and, in some cases, only the people doing them understand why they like the work. For example, it is hard for some to comprehend why anyone would want to be a sailor; this is an atmosphere where workers are surrounded by water, 24 hours a day. To a sailor, however, there is no other job that they would rather do. So why do workers choose to bypass inside jobs for the lure of working outside?

Working Outdoors = Open Spaces

Many workers do not enjoy working in a confined space, like a small office or a cubicle and opt for an outside environment. It is the lack of outside stimuli that makes the inside jobs distasteful to them and the thought of working in a small area day after day, week after week is incomprehensible.

Working Outdoors = Variety

Typically, with most inside desk or factory jobs, the tasks are dull and repetitive, and some workers can not survive in that type of atmosphere. They don’t enjoy doing the same job over and over again and, as a result, will pursue work opportunities outdoors.

Working Outdoors = Exciting

Many outside occupations offer exciting, thrilling opportunities that inside jobs can not match. There are a percentage of workers who seek out these types of opportunities and could not envision working in any other kind of surroundings. They are thrill seekers and only those types of jobs will satisfy them.

Working Outdoors = Fresh Air

As silly as it may sound, some workers want to work outside in the fresh air and sunshine. Of course, there are times when it will be cold and wet but that is acceptable for them also.

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Working Outdoors = Freedom

There are lots of outside jobs where is it not possible to have supervision it place to direct workers and for some this is a perfect setting. They don’t like to be told what to do and without a boss at the location they are allowed to work more freely.

All in all, working outdoors opens a wide variety of options and a number of different types of workplaces you can enjoy. It’s not hard to find something to suit you, regardless of your talents and skills.

Do you have a green thumb? Do you find your bliss mucking around in rows of green plants and colourful flowers?

Here are five compellions reasons for choosing to make a career out of working with plants.

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1. Spend Your Life Doing What You Love

Who was it that said, “do what you love, and love what you do?” If the great outdoors is in your blood, there is a good chance that being chained to a cubicle is not. Why not make a living working with living things?  Your career choices are endless. From a job in a home garden centre to running your own landscape company, there is a way to put what you love into what you do.

Some people work at a job they hate and wait until retirement to do what they really love. Working outdoors means that you don’t have to wait until your twilight years to spend your days doing what you love.

2. Stay in Shape

Connecting with nature is not only nourishing for the soul; but it is great for your physical health as well. Gardening is a wonderful way to stay in shape. Thanks to the physical activity involved, you won’t have to carve out time to run to the gym!

3. Nurture Your Gifts

If you love working with flowers and plants, there is a good chance that you have a natural gift for it. What better way to nurture those talents than through daily practice? A novelist becomes a better writer the more she puts words down on paper; and a natural gardener betters his craft the more he digs around in the soil.

4. Fulfill a Lifelong Dream

Is it your dream to someday run your own nursery? Staring out working as a gardener can teach you things through experience that can help you realise that dream. The more work you do in the garden, the more knowledge you acquire by daily exposure to the best methods and newest technologies in horticulture.

5. Use your Talents to Make People Happy

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Finally, working with plants and flowers will help you touch the lives of countless people. Flowers bring people together for weddings and special occasions. Giving flowers sends messages of love and commitment. They simply make people happy.

Finding a way to make a living doing what you love is an unrealised dream for many people. If you love to garden, and you are good at it, find a way to make it into a career.

Riding on the wave of enthusiasm for allotments and grow-your-own gardening, the RASE and National Society of Allotment & Leisure Gardeners have launched a new event. The Edible Garden Show 2010 will take place at Stoneleigh Park in March next year and is hoping to attract 12,000 keen gardeners who are interested in growing their own fruit and vegetables.

The Agricultural Wages Board (AWB) is the independent body that has a statutory obligation to fix minimum wages for workers employed in agriculture in England and Wales. In June 2009 the Board issued proposals for a new order to come into force from October, when it is proposed that the Grade 1 pay rate for workers over compulsory school age should rise by 1.2% from £5.74 to £5.81 per hour. For Grades 2-6 the proposed pay rate rise is 2.2% thus taking the rate for a Grade 2 Standard Worker from £6.26 to £6.40 per hour. These proposals are now subject to public consultation.

Do you have THE most unusual job in the Land-Based industry?

We’ve racked our brains here in the land-force office this afternoon and we can’t come up with a really unusual job, so we are passing it out to you good people to tell us if you know of any really unusual jobs and what they involve. We know they’re out there, so get your thinking cap on and email us back any unusual job or story you have heard.

Hooray, I’ve got the hang of this new technology, if I can, anyone can.  Have a go its great fun, follow me on LandForce Team.  Sorry too busy Twittering, to do blogging this week.