The aging of the American workforce was highlighted in a recent piece by Sally Day entitled Succession=Successful, she pointed out that every day 11,200 Americans turn 65, that means 4.1 million new 65’s and older every year. Dairy farm owners and workers already skew older, so these numbers are even more alarming, especially given the growing challenges for farms in incorporating new technologies.
Encouraging young people to take over farms, to work on farms, or to see farms as customers for their services has always been a challenge. The lure of the city is a tale as old as time. These days it’s the (apparently) better-work life balance and access to technology that is supposed to be the big draw- but is it really all better?
Younger workers choosing farm life point to better lives for their families, a better place to raise kids, safer environments with less stress, and dependable long-term jobs. So, how do farm owners looking to hire new talent bridge the gaps between what the next generation ‘thinks’ farm life will be like- and what the reality could be for them?
1) Technology.
Tech is now so much a part of life that providing connectivity in the workplace or where your future workers are going to live is essential to attract the best. Equally the arrival of robotics, sensors (IoT), smart cameras, training devices and transparency demands from food retailers ensure that the farm must be connected. Can you reasonably expect workers to work, eat and sleep without access to the internet and the connected world outside. While it might not seem to you to be a key problem that you need to solve, it is.
2) Multilingual workplaces.
Visiting farms or processing plants makes it clear how much our agricultural systems are still reliant on first generation immigrants. Making it easier for them to integrate, communicate and be valued is essential to retention. As immigration policies evolve and hiring gets harder, having managers able to speak the same language as the workers is likely to move from a ‘nice to have’ to ‘essential’. Moreover, finding managers with the ‘emotional intelligence’ skills to manage in this environment will be an increasingly important retention tool.
3) Creative thinkers.
Understanding the connection of all things on the farm, the implications for the processor and the consumer is not something which has been commonly recognized given the rise and rise of the dairy industry. But as markets and consumers evolve, the diary delivery system is interconnected and interdependent, and not always able to react quickly. You will need creative thinkers who can find places to connect with consumers, to recognize and meet their needs. Recognizing and supporting creative thinkers can be what differentiates the farms that survive and thrive on the rough seas of market turbulence.
So how can you find the next generation of talent for your farm?
1) Look in new places. The talent you need might live in a town nearby or even a city. As the global search firm Kincannon and Reed points out ‘Diverse workforces can bring fresh perspectives and innovative thinking’. When you look outside your immediate location there is no guarantee that they grew up on a farm, or even have ever spent any meaningful time there. Why should that matter? Greenfields can literally be greener for those who have only known another world and are delighted to work in yours.
2) Do you have them already on your farm? Maybe the talent you need is under your nose. According to a recent Kincannon & Reed report, coaching existing leaders provides a 5:1 return and when retention/the cost of finding replacements is factored in the return rises to 8:1.
3) Emphasize labor saving devices and innovations. Agriculture 4.0 might not have arrived as quickly as some of us expected but it is coming. Being known as being one of the first farms to try new technologies and devices has one huge benefit: you will get to see it first. Some technologies of course disappoint, and fail to bring the full benefits expected, but one thing is clear, finding workers in the future won’t get easier. Reducing repetitive, mind-numbing and sometimes dangerous tasks should be the key focus.
Finding and nourishing talent is the key to the long-term longevity of your dairy farm enterprise. Investing time now in thinking about who you hire and why you hire them will pay more dividends than most other things you can do.
