PREPARING FOR A CHANGING WORKFORCE Farmers and co-op managers face a challenge hiring By Joel Schettler and retaining qualified employees. M any young people looking to begin their careers or change jobs will find employers eager to hire them, despite the recent downturn in the nation’s agricultural economy. In this competitive environment, farmers, co-op managers and other agribusinesses report it is increasingly difficult to hire reliable, qualified employees. And when they do find good employees, retaining those employees presents a new set of challenges. Contributing to this challenge is the increasing global demand for food, says Jeff Goettl, manager of organizational development, CHS Aligned Solutions. “That drives supply-chain integration and consolidation, which places increased emphasis on relations at the farm gate. The result is demand for people.” Demand for food will not only require hands-on production, but it will also challenge the next generation’s brightest minds to develop technologies and sustainable practices that keep fields productive for future generations. Replacing Boomers Fewer college graduates are entering the ag field at a time when they are most needed. A 2013 USDA study found an average of 57,900 jobs requiring bachelor’s degrees in food, agriculture, renewable natural resources or the environment will open up every year between 2015 and 2020. Yet 39 percent of those jobs will remain unfilled. “One often overlooked factor is that baby boomers are retiring at a rate of 10,000 per day, according to Census Bureau data. That’s more than 3.6 million a year,” says Goettl. “That just puts more pressure on the market.” Today’s unemployment rate of 4.7 percent is near the 2005 level prior to the recession. Compounding the problem, fewer than 20 percent of farmers are younger than 44 years old, while more than half are 55 and older, according to USDA 2012 farm census data. > Your CHS Connection 25
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Preparing for a Changing Workforce
Joel Schettler
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