Labor Management

As a high school student I worked on a hog farm operated by a good family who was well respected throughout the community. While in college I learned that my previous employer had fallen into a deep depression, neglected feeding the animals, and considered suicide as a way to cope with the low hog prices and high input costs. Fortunately, the situation was resolved and the family successfully overcame the situation. The economic climate in the dairy industry today is much like the one this hog farmer experienced. Cases of suicide have been reported on some dairy farms across the country. A session on this very topic was one of the most highly attended at the recent Western Large Herd Dairy Conference. It is no surprise that dairy farm families are being negatively impacted by current market prices. Milk income is significantly lower while expenses have not dropped. This severe financial strain has caused elevated levels of stress for dairy farm families. With the financial ...
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Delegation can be a useful and efficient management tool for employers dealing with the major aspects of their farm/business. A foreman or other mid-management staff can be trusted to work directly with labor, coordinate worksite activities and even lend a hand. Proper teamwork and division of labor can also make for a smooth-running operation. However, labor can have off-the-job issues and needs best “delegated” to outside organizations, and some management resources are also found off the farm. This is especially true for regulatory and compliance issues. No need to re-invent the wheel or specialize in everything yourself. In Ohio, we have developed positive, collaborative relationships among employers, labor, organizations and agencies. Gathered under the same “umbrella”, we are all stakeholders dedicated to promoting and sustaining agriculture’s role in the state economy. The following are major management resources available to our employers, focusing on regulation and compliance: ODJFS Farmworker Program...
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Online job searching is becoming the norm for young job seekers in many professions. Posting your resume on Monster.com or one of the many industry-specific online job platforms is now a rite of passage rather than the exotic approach to employment it was merely a few years ago. As with so many technological advancements, the agricultural sector is following suit. Consider the hog sector, for example, where pigcareers.com seeks to become this profession's on line employment clearing house (www.pigcareers.com). While its ambitions are only slowly being fulfilled (in early December, the site boasted only 18 job postings), it has the potential to be an important pork portal for those seeking to fill positions or to follow career opportunities in the hog sector. For a limited time, employers can advertise positions for free, though if the site takes off, employers will pay $250 for single job postings that stay listed until the job is filled. More general agricultural employment sites also exist, ...
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The recruitment of labor for planting, tending and harvesting crops is crucial. In cases where sufficient good labor is not obtained or where it is lost during the season, shortages can be truly damaging to your financial success. Whether it's vegetables being disked in the field, fruit rotting on the tree or unmilked dairy herds, a lack of labor can ruin a potentially good year. So how do you find the labor you need? Here are some things to consider when you attempt your positive recruitment. Wages & Work Conditions One thing remains true for both employers and Hispanic workers ---whether in dairy, agricultural, horticultural, nursery or landscaping operations --- production and profits are the bottom line. Decent wages and work conditions increase the chances for positive recruitment results. “Decent” being subjective, the ODJFS Farm Program encourages employers and workers to utilize Interstate Clearance Orders to clarify and set the terms & conditions ...
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Helping You Help Yourself For both employers and Hispanic workers in Ohio’s agricultural, horticultural, dairy, and nursery & landscaping operations, economics is the thing: production and profitability. It’s why producers invest so much and workers travel so far. It is the bottom line. Though the factors of on-the-job activities are primary, there is an important secondary focus on the social and personal issues of the workforce. Workers may need medical help or immigration information. Pre-season arrivals may initially lack food and money resources. Spanish-only workers may ask about English classes and religious services. With a producer’s focus on the job at hand, where do the solutions for these worker issues come from? While workers often seek their own answers, and often get help from their employer, there are benefits to a positive relationship with individual agencies or networks like FALCON in Northwest Ohio. Your Tax Dollars at Work Many agencies and organizations provide programs and services that actually are your tax do...
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Good help is hard to find and often painful to lose. Hispanic workers have proven to be a much-wanted source of hardworking, dependable labor for Ohio producers/employers. Under the shadow of increased immigration enforcement, accessing this labor and retaining it have become a matter of increased priority. No doubt, a generous wages & benefits package can attract labor and is about the best way to help keep good employees on the job. Still, if you are looking to secure your Hispanic labor, here are some things to consider. Orientation Securing your labor begins with a thorough and proper orientation. Let workers know what your business objectives, goals and philosophies are. What are you and your workplace all about? What are your expectations of them as employees? Ask them what they expect from you and their coming employment. Introduce your work rules and procedures. Emphasize your operation as not just a place for them to work but also a business to operate. Your workers ...
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Benefits for farm employees vary tremendously from farm to farm and frequently take the place of some wages that might normally be paid to employees in a non-farm position. With very little data available addressing the value of benefits provided, this survey was conducted to collect and share baseline data for farm employers and employees. A survey was conducted in early 2007 to gather data on farm employee wages and benefits in Ohio. The “Wages and Benefits For Farm Employees” study was conducted by distribution of surveys by Extension Educators, Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics Faculty and Staff and allied organizations. Surveys were returned and summarized for 122 farm employees in early 2007. Data was collected for each employee on benefits including health insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, housing, utilities, meals, personal use of vehicle, farm produce to consume, clothing, continuing education, recreation/vacation, farm commodities, retirement plan,...
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The USDA has eleased an agricultural security publication. This document includes checklists for agricultural operations with crops, chemicals, livestock, poultry, and dairy. It emphasizes the importance of security awareness, emergency planning, and general security issues.

These issues could also be called Best Management Safety Practices for the farm, in that they address all the old safety awareness tips like:
- keep chemicals in original containers and in a locked facility
- have an emergency operation plan
- post emergency phone numbers for fire, police, veterinarians, etc.
- maintain an inventory of fuel (diesel, gas, propane, acetylene, kerosene)
- properly train employees how to operate equipment/react in an emergency

To obtain a copy of the Pre-Harvest Safety Security Guide, producers can download them from the USDA Homeland Security Office webpage at: http://www.usda.gov/homelandsecurity/

OSU Extension is currently conducting a state-wide survey of vineyard operations examining the labor and management needs for the Ohio Grape Industry. This survey seeks to determine the desired technical and interpersonal relationship skills desired by employers in the grape industry. The survey also examines the business management training topics desired by vineyard managers. The results of this survey will be used to develop labor management programs and curricula for Ohio ‘s grape industry.

All vineyard operations in the State of Ohio will be mailed the survey during the first week of September. Producers who inadvertently do not receive the survey may contact David Marrison at 440-576-9008 or marrison.2@osu.edu to receive a copy.

What is an appropriate wage rate for hired farm labor? Many things drive negotiations on wage, including the worker's experience, dependability, competency/skill, past wage level and the demands of the job. However, often it is necessary to identify a fair base wage rate from which to negotiate final salary and wage levels.

In this article we discuss two sources of data that can serve as a reference for employers and employees. The first is a general resource that provides information about a broad array of agricultural jobs while the second provides a narrow focus on the hog industry.

USDA Farm Labor Quarterly Report . Every 3 months, the USDA conducts a survey of farm employers throughout the US to determine the going wage rate for different types of jobs and di...
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What is an appropriate wage rate for hired farm labor? Many things drive negotiations on wage, including the worker's experience, dependability, competency/skill, past wage level and the demands of the job. However, often it is necessary to identify a fair base wage rate from which to negotiate final salary and wage levels. In this article we discuss two sources of data that can serve as a reference for employers and employees. The first is a general resource that provides information about a broad array of agricultural jobs while the second provides a narrow focus on the hog industry. USDA Farm Labor Quarterly Report . Every 3 months, the USDA conducts a survey of farm employers throughout the US to determine the going wage rate for different types of jobs and different types of farms. USDA's last survey of employers was conducted toward April of 2005 and is available at: http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/reports/nassr/other/pfl-bb/ The average wage rates paid in April for ...
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Special training in tractor and associated equipment operation can allow 14 and 15 year old youth to operate certain farm equipment that the youth otherwise can not legally work near or operate. However, if over 16 youth can work around or operate such equipment on the farm. Even though youth who are children of farmers are generally exempted from the Fair Labor Standards Act, special restrictions apply for those youth that are not family members, under 16 without training and/or under 14 even with training. Refer to the previous article in the July 2004 issue for more detail: http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioagmanager/news/archive/2004/704.php#Labor

or go to the training module fact sheets provided by the National Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation Program: http://hosta.nsc.org/library/welcome.cfm , click under "task sheets" under Introduction then scroll down through first task sheet then hi...
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As farm labor becomes an increasing strain on agricultural managers, it is imperative that managers explore all possibilities to meet their labor needs. Most agricultural employers may be unaware that the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services (ODJFS) is available throughout the State of Ohio to help link managers with migrant labor workforce. ODJFS coordinates the Agricultural Recruitment System which helps agricultural employers find qualified, temporary, migrant workers. Using a national network, ODJFS is able to help managers locate and recruit interested workers from across the United States. This program should not be confused with the H2A program. The H2A program allows firms to request approval to recruit nonimmigrant alien workers for temporary work and may only be accessed when there is an anticipated shortage of domestic agricultural workers. The agricultural recruitment system can be utilized at any time. In short, the Agricultural Recruitment System is a free, public-operated, recruitment and referral...
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Now that school is out of session students may be looking for a summer job on your farm baling hay, milking cows, picking vegetables or assisting with many of the other day-to-day tasks. Students are often eager to work, but there are some precautions you as the employer must be aware of prior to hiring. The following paragraphs will help answer some of the more common questions. Who is Covered? The employment of minors under age 16 is subject to federal requirements set by the Fair Labor Standards Act and the agriculture requirements are less than for many other industries. In 1967, the U.S. Secretary of Labor determined that certain jobs in agriculture are hazardous to children less than 16 years of age. However, like many other federal regulations, there are exemptions. These include the employment of children less than 16 years of age when employed on farms owned or operated by their parents or guardians and those who have completed an approved tractor and ...
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