How to Find Farm Help for Your Ag Business

As the owner of an agricultural operation, you need to know how best to hire for jobs on your farm or ranch. Having hardworking, trustworthy people working in farm jobs on your operation is crucial to your success.

Your reliance on your team makes hiring good employees essential. If you want to know how to connect with people wondering how to get a job on a farm or ranch, we’ve put together some tips to help you get started with hiring.

Plan Ahead When Hiring for Farm Jobs

Never forget: Your ag operation is your business. Planning is crucial to your operation. You should — and likely do — have processes in place to keep everything running smoothly, like yearly operational plans, long-term plans, emergency plans, machinery maintenance plans, a succession plan and more.

Because people are central to your ag operation, you should also have a thorough employment management plan prepared with input from a consulting team that includes your tax advisor, accountant, legal advisor and insurance agent. Spend time assessing your needs and financial situation before you start hiring so you can put together the best team possible.

Identify the Skills Needed for Jobs on a Farm or Ranch

As you create a job description, don’t take a haphazard approach. Instead, carefully consider what you need in an employee for your farm or ranch as you put together the job listing. If you’re using a general job description or one you’ve used in the past, you probably need to update it based on what you’ve learned since you last posted it.

You also need to ask a simple question: Who’s your ideal employee? Candidates should be highly motivated, independent, strong, multi-skilled, flexible team players. Farm labor jobs often require specialized skills, like a commercial driver’s license or experience with agritourism.

Outline the qualities needed to be successful at the job; also list which skills you’re comfortable teaching a new employee and be sure to list any specific proficiencies that your ideal candidate will possess. (Depending on the region in which you’re located, you may need to list pay ranges as well.)

Set Expectations When Hiring Help

Pay is an important part of any job, and you want to be clear with your potential employees about what you’re offering and what they’re looking for. Determine a pay range that is fair based on the market and the size of your operation. Refer to local resources and other employers in your area to determine what is appropriate and be sure to use that information in the job description and during the interview process.

When you conduct the interview, make your expectations clear so that the candidate knows what to expect. Starting with a mutual understanding of the role benefits both you and your employee. You don’t want to put the time and effort into training an employee only to have them quit two weeks in because the job wasn’t what they expected.

You may also consider a hands-on aspect to the interview to ensure their skill level and your expectations are a match. And once you’ve found the right hire, retention strategies for small business owners can help keep them engaged and loyal to your team.

Recruit in the Right Places

A great job description isn’t useful if nobody sees or knows about it, but knowing where to share the job description can be difficult. The key is to consider who you are looking for and determine how you might reach them. 

But how can you find help for your farm or ranch? Here are some good places to start.

Local High Schools

Students may be looking for entry-level farm jobs on evenings and weekends. Furthermore, graduating seniors who aren’t interested in higher education may slide seamlessly into your employee roster. You may have to conduct more training, but they’ll likely start working eager to learn and grow.

Area Colleges, Especially Land Grant Universities

If you’re not looking for a long-term employee, any college with an agriculture program likely has students who are searching for seasonal, hands-on work experience on a farm or ranch.

4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA)

At local 4-H and FFA groups, not only will you find a pool of potential young employees interested in agriculture, but they may also have friends and family members seeking employment in the field.

State Workforce Development

Don’t forget that your state office is a great resource to connect you with potential employees. They know who’s looking for work and likely can help you find people who will be a good fit.

Online Platforms

Websites like Indeed and LinkedIn allow you to post your agriculture job openings in front of job seekers. Social media platforms can help spread the word that you are looking for someone to hire. And don’t forget to post the opportunity in groups on Facebook and other social networks that you participate in.

Word of Mouth

Spread the word to others in your community and ask for references from current and former employees. A personal reference can go a long way toward finding the right farmhand hire.

Community Bulletin Boards

It may seem old-fashioned, but your community is the greatest asset that you can tap into to find farm or ranch employees. You never know who has a friend or family member looking for work.

Be Willing to Teach

These days, fewer people come from farming families, and those that do often stay with their own family business. So, some of your best potential employees may not have a background in agriculture, but they could learn. If you have the time and ability, consider hiring someone who checks all your non-skill-based boxes but may need more guidance to learn the ropes. These small business hiring tips can help you feel more confident in bringing someone new up to speed.

Create an Onboarding Process

New employees learn by doing, and it’s tempting to throw them in the job on day one. Establishing a standard operating procedure for welcoming new hires can make the difference between a successful hire and a dud. These onboarding tips for agritourism employees can be helpful even if your operation isn’t in agritourism; they offer useful insights for any hands-on farm or ranch role.

But remember, this comes back to preparation on your part. Spend some time considering what your farm employee needs to know and when. What tools and resources do they need to be successful? What capabilities? Which skills from other industries might be transferable to agriculture? How can they access them? Make this organizational effort up front; you’ll be able to use it again for future hires.

Protect Your Newest Asset

Once you have a new employee in place, make sure your ag operation is protected. As your business expands, it’s important to reassess your insurance coverage.

Ag-based business insurance ensures your farm or ranch is protected financially from fire, theft and even animal attacks. Workers’ compensation safeguards both your farm or ranch and your employees, ensuring they have a safe place to work. Connect with a Farm Bureau agent today to talk about your coverage.