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Introduction
One of the many challenges faced by farmers (new and existing) is the inability to get the right employees to manage their farms effectively.
This has caused a lot of farms to liquidate earlier than usual because the lack of dedicated workers is a big threat to business growth.
If you have been wondering how to get the right employee for your farm, then read on cos in this article I will be helping you get it right before engaging their service on your farm.
Ways To Get The Right Employees On Your Farm
Just like I have mentioned in the introduction of this article, it is somehow difficult to get the right employee for your farm especially if you’re a beginner that does not know your way around the system.
It is not about employing workers but the question should be are the workers’ goals aligning with your goals as the owner? There are basic questions you need to ask yourself and also answer diligently.
- Network With Friends
If you’re a beginner in the agricultural sector and you need employees to manage and look after your farm, then the first thing to do is connect with friends or families that have already started the business and have a few contacts they can recommend for the business.
Although I don’t usually recommend you employ a family member on your farm cos oftentimes it doesn’t end well. It’s either they don’t do what they’re supposed to do or they find a way to cheat you.
That does not mean you should look in this direction (turning to family and friends) but you have to be careful if you’re going through this route.
2. Advertise Vacant Positions
The second way to get the right employee for your farm is by advertising vacant positions. This can be done using different methods.
You can either use billboards; newspapers; media houses and so on. The size of your farm will determine how much you’re going to spend on advertising.
One freemium way to advertise a position on your farm is by using social media platforms. Many people are still underestimating the power of social media and technology in general.
When advertising for a position, make sure all responsibilities, duties, and roles are well spelled out to avoid misunderstanding.
If you’re looking for a farm worker let it be known, if it’s a supervisor, put it in the advert and if all you want is a manager, let people know beforehand.
Also, let them know their salary expectations before applying for whatever position you put out.
Leverage the different social media platforms to get workers for your farm.
DISCLAIMER: There are many fake people on the web so be careful when trying to get employees on social media. Do your research well before bringing them to the farm.
3. Partner With Educational Institutions
Another way to get the right staff for your farm is by partnering with some institutions to provide students that have studied agriculture or something similar that could serve as staff.
This might not work well for everyone but I can bet with you this is a way to get reputable staff for your farm. I’m not saying you won’t get some bad employees from this pool, but like I can always say you can filter your list to get the best employee.
4. Attend Job Fairs
The fourth way to get employees for your farm is by attending job fairs and meetings. Job fairs are not only for people in the oil & gas, finance, or marketing industry. People in the agricultural sector can also attend job fairs and even organize job fairs specifically for those in the industry.
By doing this, you are not only helping yourself, but you are also providing solutions to other people in the sector to overcome the challenges of hiring the right employee.
5. Partner With Recruitment Agencies
I believe this point is straight forward just like the previous four. If not, let me let you into how this work.
Some consulting and recruitment agencies specialize in recruiting staff for different organizations, and the agricultural sector is no exception.
If you’re finding it difficult to recruit reliable personnel for your farm, search for recruitment agencies and let them help you solve this mystery.
Doing this will keep the staff responsible and if any of them messes up, you can someone to hold responsible for their misbehavior.
How To Keep Workers Happy On The Farm
I know you are spending a lot of money to keep the business afloat and sometimes things might not go according to plan, except you are the one managing your farm yourself without external support, there are things that you need to do in order to make your farm workers happy.
i. Offer Competitive Packages: Because they will be working on the farm doesn’t make them less to receive good payment.
Gone are the days when farm workers are being paid peanuts, now, some farm workers receive more benefits than those working in the corporate world.
In order to make your staff happy and ginger them to work better and with true dedication, you need to pay them handsomely. Remember if you must do this, you don’t need to go beyond and above, so much more that it will start affecting your pocket.
Packages you can offer your workers aside from their wages/salaries are but not limited to health insurance, paid time off, and bonuses. Do things within your means.
ii. Offer Training Opportunities: I know at first when you start your farming business you’ll reach out to a professional to train your workers on the farm (which I strongly advise). Subsequently and at intervals, I implore you to send your staff for more development opportunities in order to further sharpen their brain.
I know you’re thinking about what’s there in farming that they need to know other than the usual, but it will surprise you that the majority of workers and even “so-called professionals” know little of what they claim to know. So, offering training opportunities to your workers as a bonus package will further keep them interested in working with you on the farm.
Conclusion
To recap, here are the ways to hire the right worker for your farm:
i. Network with friends
ii. Advertise vacant positions
iii. Partner with the educational institutions
iv. Attend job fairs
v. Partner with recruitment agencies
Following the above steps does not guarantee landing a trustworthy and reliable worker for your farm but one is sure it will help you quickly filter the bad eggs from the good ones.
Humans are unsatisfiable but you just have to take the risk by either paying more to get premium workers or following the freeway by doing random recruitment.
It is very possible you’re going to do some hiring and firing at the very beginning before you eventually get the right worker that will stay with you for a long time.
Be resilient and don’t give up on finding the right worker for your farm.
Cheers to your success.