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Like many farm kids, once I was old enough to take on a chore, I was excited to be a part of the action.

At the time, that may have only meant bottle feeding calves, feeding sheep or handing tools to dad as he maintained equipment. Over time my duties significantly evolved of course, from farm ownership and management, to very labor-intensive activities that are important to the success of any farm.

Unfortunately, my story and yours is becoming more uncommon with every generation of our society. Ohioans are increasingly removed from the farm, and while agriculture certainly has its selling points for those looking for a career, fewer people are returning to the farm or even considering the field, which means greater dependence on hired workers.

After poring over information from roundtable discussions across the state, survey results, state and county board feedback, and a series of member focus groups last summer, a particular issue stood out to me – finding and keeping farm workers is a huge challenge.
The majority of our members, 51%, have up to five employees, and they are finding that acquiring quality employees is challenging and unless they adapt to new workforce patterns, attracting, hiring and retaining workers will become more difficult.

That is why Ohio Farm Bureau is offering a new resource to our members, “A Guide to Finding, Hiring and Retaining Farm Employees.” This guide is designed to help position a farm business as an employer of choice in this tough labor market. It will help you attract and retain quality labor, and reduce the chance of a key employee leaving, causing a business disruption. Each section will provide you with valuable information and templates to help you attract and retain employees.

This guide is exclusively for Ohio Farm Bureau members. If you’re not a member, join today to receive access to the guide as well as to an upcoming webinar series featuring industry experts and farmers sharing strategies they are using to successfully recruit and retain workers.

Starting Aug. 31, Ohio Farm Bureau will be hosting five informative lunch-and-learn webinars on labor and workforce needs. Each 30-minute webinar will cover essential labor-related topics such as employee retention, recruitment, the H-2A system, organizational culture and labor-saving technology ideas. Creative Ways to Recruit Farm Employees is the kickoff topic Aug. 31. Join us from the field, the truck or wherever you are.

In this issue of Our Ohio, George Secor, president and CEO of Sunrise Cooperative, talks about why he sees value in Farm Bureau membership for Sunrise employees: so they can better understand the industry and their customers. The production of this new guide exemplifies how Ohio Farm Bureau continues to provide on-farm business solutions to give
our members a competitive advantage, in what has become the most competitive job market of our time.