Where Are the Workers?

Hiring farm labor is easier said than done, for many reasons. Here are some ways to find – and keep – your next employee.

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Walk down any Main Street in any town and you'll see "Help Wanted" signs in the windows of restaurants, gas stations, and other businesses. With the national unemployment rate hovering around 4%, finding employees is difficult, no matter the location. According to a survey by the employment company Manpower, 70% of U.S. employers said they were unable to find suitable employees for current job vacancies.

Agricultural employers face additional challenges, including higher wages being offered in other industries, an aging rural population, young people leaving rural areas, migrant workers becoming settled, and changing immigration policies.

Can Ag Compete?

Shannon Sand is a regional Extension educator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She led a session on hiring employees at the Nebraska Women in Agriculture Conference earlier this year.

Sand said competition is a big reason farmers are struggling to find labor. She shared the case of a feedlot in northeast Nebraska that pays $25 per hour but is losing employees to a nearby trucking company. Workers are paid the same wage to drive an air-conditioned, heated truck as they are to work in the elements at the feedlot. “That makes it hard,” Sand said. “Where's the competitive advantage?”

Even with competitive wages, manual labor in the heat of summer and the cold of winter makes farmwork a tough sell. Blake Kerns grows sweet corn, green beans, and berries at Kerns Homegrown in northwest Iowa. He said high school and college students on summer break are the most logical seasonal labor pool for his operation.

Before the Search

Hiring an employee is a big step, and there are lots of factors to consider. Consult your team — including tax adviser, accountant, attorney, and insurance agent — to make sure you're doing everything by the book, especially if hiring for the first time.