Labor

It’s Time to Break Up with the Bad Employee

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 18:00:54 GMT

Having the right employees on your team is essential to keeping the farm running smoothly. Yet in many cases, workers are hired to fill an urgent labor gap and aren’t given the training or resources they need to succeed. When that happens, even well‑intentioned employees may struggle to fit the role or the team—ultimately leading to a labor “breakup.”

Jorge Delgado, a training and talent development specialist with Alltech, says the reluctance to address these situations is often emotional and more costly than managers realize. In a recent conversation, he compared it to staying in a romantic relationship long after it is clear it is not working.

Why Do Farms Struggle to Let Go?

For many farm owners, the biggest barrier to firing a poor-fit employee is fear.

“One fear that many farmers have is that they are not going to be able to find another employee to replace the person they are letting go,” Delgado explains.

This fear intensifies in specialized roles where skills are harder to find.

“This can especially be true for middle management positions,” Delgado adds. “These are more technical positions, and it can be really hard to find people to fill that role. Sometimes, that makes management hesitate to get rid of that person, even though it’s hurting production and numbers at the farm.”

Family and social ties on the farm add another complication. Delgado says it’s not uncommon for employees to be related, or tightly connected, to others on the crew.

“Sometimes these guys, they have family involved,” he adds. “The owners or managers are afraid that if they let go of oner person, these guys will take their family or friends with them.”

The result is a kind of emotional hostage situation. Even when the employee clearly doesn’t fit the culture or role, management feels stuck, hoping the situation will somehow improve on its own.

Have Clear Expectations

Many employee challenges on farms can be traced back to what did or did not happen on the first day of work. Delgado says problems often begin long before performance issues show up, simply because expectations were never clearly laid out.

“You have to have rules and regulations really clear and established on a far,” Delgado says. “Most of the farmers hire people on the spot, get them trained and get them going. These people don’t necessarily go through a formal onboarding process where they go through the expectations, the rules and regulations, and so they don’t know anything about it.”

When those expectations are never clearly explained, performance conversations and eventual terminations can feel unfair on both sides. Employees feel blindsided, and managers feel frustrated. In many cases, the breakdown started on the first day the employee walked onto the farm.

He also stresses the value of doing basic reference checks before hiring, an often-skipped step in agriculture.

“Sometimes we just hire the individual that is right at the door, and we don’t do any research,” Delgado says. “But that research can be an early sign that this individual is not the right fit for my culture.”

The Three-Strike Approach

Before any tough decision is made, farmers need a clear framework for addressing performance issues. Delgado recommends a structured, professional process—one that gives employees fair warning while protecting the farm.

He suggests a simple three-strike policy:

Verbal warning - Delgado stresses that this first step should be a clear, calm and deliberate conversation. The manager needs to sit down with the employee and explain exactly what behavior or performance issue needs to change, why it matters to the operation and what improvement looks like.

He encourages farmers to avoid vague statements like “you need to do better” and instead focus on specific, measurable expectations. The employee should leave the conversation knowing precisely what needs to change and the timeframe to correct it.

Written warning - If the issue continues after the verbal warning, Delgado says it is time to move to formal documentation. This step should be more structured and intentional, signaling to the employee that the concern is serious and must be addressed.

“You need to sit down with the person and explain what’s going on,” Delgado says. “It becomes more structuralized, because the person and both parties should sign a document saying, ‘Look, this is the second time you did this, and these are going to be the consequences if you do it for the third time.’”

Termination -If the behavior does not change after verbal and written warnings, Delgado says it is time to part ways. By this point, the employee has been given clear expectations, opportunities to improve, and formal notice that the issue is serious.

Delgado encourages farmers to handle this step professionally and directly. The conversation should be private, respectful and brief. The manager should clearly state that the employee is being let go, reference the previous warnings, and avoid turning the meeting into a debate or long explanation.

Watch for Red Flags

Every farm has its own internal culture. Employees work closely together, talk with one another and often recognize problems long before management does.

“In this small circle, things travel fast, especially trouble,” Delgado says. “When there is a person who is not behaving properly or doing something wrong, the team will try to get rid of this person. And the first sign is they will communicate with management.”

Delgado adds that the mistake many managers make is brushing off those early comments or complaints. When multiple employees start raising concerns about the same person, it is often an early warning sign that something is not working and needs attention before it affects the whole crew.

“Many times, the managers avoid these signs,” Delgado say. “They think, ‘Just let it go. Everything’s fine. We’ll take care of this later’ and they totally avoid the problem. By the time they realize it is a big issue, it’s too late.”

Common red flags include chronic lateness, cutting corners, skipping protocols and poor communication. These patterns aren’t only unprofessional, but they can create extra work and frustration for the dependable employees.

“At some point you have to say, ‘What’s going on here?’” Delgado notes. “Don’t ignore the red flags and sweep them under the rug.”

When You Have to Fire on the Spot

Not every situation needs to follow a step-by-step process. Sometimes, inappropriate behavior or actions require immediate dismissal.

“Sometimes you have to get rid of somebody on the spot,” Delgado says. “For example, someone mistreating animals, damaging equipment, mistreating coworkers, stealing or causing serious disruption needs to be let go of immediately. When behavior like drugs, alcohol, sexual harassment or anything else begins to change the culture and environment of the farm, there are no second chances.”

In these cases, keeping the wrong person sends the wrong message to the rest of the team. It makes it look like serious issues can be overlooked or tolerated. It creates frustration for employees who follow the rules, do their jobs well and expect the same standards from others.

Check In, Listen and Make Employees Feel Valued

Preventing tough breakups with employees starts well before any termination talk. Regular check-ins—both formal and informal—can catch small issues before they grow into major problems.

“Formal reviews need to be mandatory,” Delgado says. “But they often aren’t regular. Also, survey your culture. Anonymous surveys usually get people to speak up, and you’ll learn a lot about the reality of your team and the culture.”

One simple question he likes to ask employees is: Would you recommend a friend or family member to work here?

“If the answer is no, something is off,” he adds. “You need to fix that now rather than dealing with the fallout later and having to let too many people go.”

Beyond systems and surveys, many farm employees simply don’t feel valued.

“Ask an employee what their role is, and they often say, ‘I just do ‘fill in the blank’” Delgado says. “They don’t see the big picture, and it’s our job to make them feel relevant.”

That means communicating mission, purpose and appreciation—much like in a healthy marriage.

“If you aren’t telling your spouse you appreciate them, you can’t be surprised when the relationship fails if you only point out the negatives,” he adds

Breaking Up the Right Way

Running a farm isn’t just about managing equipment, crops and livestock. It also means managing people. And while you can’t control every employee’s choice, you can:

Set clear expectations from day one
Document verbal and written warnings
Pay attention to the “inner community” of employees
Use reviews and surveys to monitor morale and culture
Communicate how valuable and relevant your team members are

And when it becomes clear that someone isn’t a fit, you owe it to your business and your team to act.

Will 2026 Finally Be the Year for Immigration and Ag Labor Reform?

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 21:44:57 GMT

Talk to any farm group across the country, and they will tell you that the agricultural labor shortage is one of the most limiting factors in the industry right now next to low grain profitability.

The Time is Now
The debate over immigration and ag labor reform has been a political hot potato for decades, which has led to inaction by Congress. However, there are some indications from the leadership of the Senate and House Agriculture Committees that 2026 might be the year a long- or short-term fix could finally be passed.

The chairs and ranking members of both committees joined American Farm Bureau president Zippy Duvall at their annual convention in Anaheim, Calif., this week to talk about a variety of ag topics, but the focus quickly turned to ag labor. There was consensus among all four that solving this crisis was a priority for 2026.

Senate Ag Committee Leadership Making Ag Labor a Priority
Senate Ag Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., says the H-2A program is not working and there is pressure to find a solution.

“And I just think the time has come to get this done,” she says. “Michael Bennett has a bill that I am a co-sponsor of that would fix the H-2A visa program and make sure that we have year-round visas, that we are doing something on wage certainty protecting the existing workforce.”

Klobuchar says she has worked on immigration and agricultural labor reform over the course of several administrations, only to hit a brick wall in the end. However, she believes the need has become too great in the U.S. among industries like agriculture to ignore. To get this across the finish line farm groups like the American Farm Bureau will need to appeal to lawmakers about how refusing to solve this crisis could put more farmers out of business.

“You’ve got to make that economic case about how we want to feed the world,” she says. “We want to have strong businesses, and to do that we need a smart immigration system that allows for workers.”

Why is 2026 Different?
One change that has improved the political climate is the Trump administration’s beefed up efforts to protect the U.S. southern border says Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark.

“We said we could not do reform because the border was not secure, and it wasn’t secure; it was just the opposite of that,” he says. “We’ve worked hard; it is secure now, then through Visa programs you control the flow, but it’s time to do that.”

Boozman adds that another important change is the consensus in agriculture about the importance of reforming immigration and ag labor.

“Every farm group I talk to say this is a top priority,” he says. “We need massive reform, and the good news is on both sides of the aisle, I think, that we are getting that message because of your hard work lobbying.”

House Ag Committee Leadership Has Already Laid the Groundwork
House Agriculture Committee Chair G.T. Thompson, R-Pa., agrees it is time to break the grid lock on ag labor reform in place since the 1980s.

“Because if you don’t have a work force you have food insecurity; if you have food insecurity you have national insecurity,” he says.

In the 118^th Congress Thompson laid the groundwork for legislation by assembling a 16-member bipartisan task force on ag labor that included a cross section of farmers and processors. He says the result was a thoughtful action plan that provided 21 recommendations for reform.

“Fifteen of those were unanimous, and so we have taken those to legislative council,” he says. “We’d probably be a little further ahead if we didn’t have that goofy shutdown. We are looking forward here in this first quarter of this year of getting that introduced.”

House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig, D-Minn., says it’s a good first step but warns the challenge for immigration reform is the ongoing ICE actions carried out by Homeland Security. She had heard from dairy farmers in her home state about the chilling effect its having on the work force.

“Whether they were legal immigrants or not, they don’t want to come to work because they fear this environment right now,” she says.

Craig says at times the administration has given the impression that they do not want immigrant labor in the U.S., and so that needs to change to be able to build enough support in Congress to pass this legislation.

How to Handle Tension Before it Becomes Conflict

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 22:37:46 GMT

Conflict on farms isn’t always obvious. It doesn’t have to show up as a dramatic argument or a big blow-up moment. Most of the time, it starts as frustration over a task, strain between coworkers or even just someone quietly checking out.

While conflict can feel messy, it’s not a sign something is broken. According to Hernando Duarte, farm labor outreach specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, it’s a reality of farm work.

“In labor-intensive environments like farms and other agricultural operations, conflict between employees [and family] can happen,” Duarte explains. And on farms, that friction is hard to avoid.

Conflict Can Feel Personal

Duarte notes conflict feels uncomfortable for a reason. On a farm, long hours, physical work and constant pressure can make disagreements feel personal, even when they’re not. Sometimes, just a simple disagreement can feel like a personal attack.

“Our brains often perceive conflict as a threat, which makes it uncomfortable and leads many people to avoid it,” he says.

That instinct to avoid tough conversations is understandable, but avoiding conflict doesn’t make it disappear. According to Duarte, the difference between a farm that struggles and one that moves forward often comes down to how leaders respond when tension shows up.

Most Conflict Starts Below the Surface

Sometimes a disagreement looks like just part of the daily grind, but Duarte emphasizes that understanding what’s underneath the issue is the first step toward solving and preventing conflict in the future.

On farms, those underlying causes often include:

Misunderstandings about expectations or tasks
Different work styles and decision-making speeds
Unclear roles or responsibilities
Cultural or language barriers within diverse teams
Stress and fatigue during peak seasons
Generational differences in values and priorities

None of these are unusual in agriculture, they’re often just a natural part of running a farm. More hands and different perspectives can sometimes cause small misunderstandings, but that’s just a normal part of working together as a team.

Turning Conflict Into Progress

It can be tempting to hope tension works itself out. But Duarte warns that avoiding conflict usually makes the situation worse.

When conflict is ignored, Duarte says farms often see:

Lower morale and growing frustration
Reduced productivity and focus
Higher employee turnover
Declines in performance, quality and safety

Unresolved conflict doesn’t just go away. Left unaddressed, small tensions can grow and start affecting how the team works together.

“Conflict doesn’t have to be a negative thing,” Duarte says. “When handled properly, it can lead to stronger communication, better teamwork and long-term improvements and innovation.”

Handled well, conflict can actually move a team forward. Duarte encourages leaders to:

Create space for private, respectful conversations
Listen to all sides without interruption
Look beyond surface issues to understand the real concern
Refocus discussions on shared goals, including a safe, productive, respectful workplace
Agree on clear next steps, responsibilities and follow-up
Bring in additional support if issues repeat or escalate

Addressing conflict early helps keep small issues from turning into long-term setbacks and gives teams a chance to work better together.

Leadership Sets the Tone

At the end of the day, Duarte says resolving on-farm conflict starts with leadership. If managers ignore tension, people notice. If they step in and handle issues calmly and fairly, the whole team feels more confident.

Leading by example, communicating clearly and checking in regularly all help reduce future conflict. Training supervisors to handle small issues early can keep them from becoming bigger disruptions later.

Conflict isn’t fun, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. When it’s handled the right way, it can actually make the team stronger. It’s a chance to build trust, clear up expectations and keep everyone moving in the same direction.

Fixing Ranch Labor Challenges: Kane Wellnitz’s Advice on Hiring and Retention

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 19:03:21 GMT

If you ask ranchers what their biggest challenges are, finding and retaining employees often lands at the top of the list. But that doesn’t mean finding the right people for a ranch or any ag business is impossible — it just requires looking at what works for others and understanding what makes ag people tick a little differently.

Kane Wellnitz is a Nebraska rancher and owner of Land Bridge Consulting. His family has taught him how to retain key employees on the ranch, and his consulting business has taught him even more about how to communicate with them.

“Ag people are great, but we’re really good at suffering,” Wellnitz says. “We’ll work all day and not complain — and that can be an issue as an employer. You have to tell people up front: if something’s wrong, call me and let me know before it becomes a bigger problem.”

Wellnitz says proper communication saves a business time and money in the long run.

“It’s really expensive to hire people,” he says. “I’d much rather keep good people than have to find new ones.”

Communicating may seem like an obvious answer, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy.

“You never really get communication right — you just have to keep working at it,” Wellnitz says. “The biggest thing we’ve learned is to constantly let everyone know what’s going on. I’m not a micromanager. I like my people to manage themselves, but I’ve also learned that good employees still want communication and input.”

Outside of communication, Wellnitz has found creating a sense of ownership to be one of the most effective retention strategies.

“Ownership has been our best retention strategy,” he says. “Andrea, our ranch manager, runs cows with our cows. She’s built her own herd alongside ours — and that makes her truly invested in what we’re doing. When employees have ownership, it’s less like talking to an employee and more like talking to a partner.”

Ownership also includes listening to employees’ ideas.

“Listen to your people’s ideas,” he says. “The folks doing the work often see inefficiencies you can’t. Giving them ownership in the process helps them grow and helps the business improve.”

Offering flexibility is another key strategy.

“Flexibility is key. People have lives, families and goals outside of work,” Wellnitz says. “If I can help them make a living and still have time for life, that’s a win. On the ranch, flexibility looks like small breaks — maybe an afternoon to do something you actually enjoy, like moving cows. Little resets go a long way.”

Housing, providing beef or covering utilities are also benefits ranchers can consider offering. But those extras can’t always make up for direct compensation.

“You’ve got to pay good help,” Wellnitz says. “A lot of the ag industry is still stuck paying what they did 20 years ago. You can’t afford not to pay people well anymore.”

Proper compensation with the right employees will pay off in the long run, he adds.

“If you don’t pay competitively, you’ll pay in other ways — with turnover, stress or lost cattle,” he says. “Those costs can equal the cost of keeping a good employee.”

When it comes to finding good employees, Wellnitz encourages ranchers to think beyond the typical candidate pool.

“Don’t overlook people from outside your exact niche,” he says. “A good hand from the farm side or even the oil field might be exactly who you need on your ranch.”

Keep in mind the strengths and weaknesses your team already has, and consider which skills can be taught. Someone who isn’t as handy horseback might make up for it with strong mechanical skills.

The biggest thing to remember: as a rancher, you are an employer and a leader. Think outside the box, listen to others, and be willing to provide opportunities and compensation that help your employees pursue their own goals.

You can listen to the full conversation with Kane Wellnitz on the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast.

The Labor Conundrum: Navigating Workforce Shortages in the U.S.

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 14:14:52 GMT

In recent years, discussions around the slowing growth rate of the U.S. labor force have intensified. Rob Fox from CoBank highlights a pressing issue in the company’s latest quarterly report: the potential drag on economic growth due to labor supply constraint.

While the urgency of the problem seemed to subside temporarily, recent developments have brought it back into focus.

Demographic Challenges
Eighteen years ago, the U.S. boasted a fertility rate of 2.12 children per woman, surpassing the level necessary for a stable population. However, the economic upheaval caused by the Great Financial Crisis led to a significant decline in births, a trend that continues to this day. The fertility rate as of 2023 has dropped to 1.62 children per woman. The impact of these “missing births” is now becoming evident as this age cohort begins entering adulthood, coinciding with the retirement of the baby boomer generation. This demographic shift presents a dual blow to the labor market.

Fox says adopting technology — most obviously AI and robotics — will likely be at the core of any strategy to address oncoming labor shortages.

Participation Rates
Another pressing issue is the downward trend in labor force participation rates since 2000. Currently at 62%, a stark decline from the peak of 67%, this translates to approximately 9.7 million potential workers lost.

“Worryingly, this trend may be accelerating: 2.4 million working-aged people have dropped out of the labor force in the past eight months alone,” Fox says, noting some reasons include increased caregiving responsibilities, job skill obsolescence, mental health challenges and rising disability rates.

Immigration as a Balancing Act
For a brief period, immigration helped offset the labor shortage. Humanitarian crises, less restrictive immigration policies, and strong labor demand attracted nearly 9 million immigrants to the U.S. between 2022 and 2024. However, since late 2024, immigration levels have sharply declined. Additionally, the Trump administration’s plan to deport 1 million undocumented immigrants further complicates the scenario. Without a reversal in participation rates or policy changes, the worker pool will continue to shrink.

Agricultural Implication
These labor issues are particularly acute in rural areas, affecting industries like agriculture. Richard Stup from Cornell Cooperative Extension underscores the diminishing labor pool available for farm work. Countries like Mexico — historically a source of agricultural labor — are experiencing similar demographic changes. Economic improvements in these countries reduce the impetus for migration, further tightening labor availability.

“[The population in] Mexico, going forward, will begin to actually shrink,” he says. “It’s not just Mexico. There are a lot of countries in this situation.”

In addition to a smaller pool of workers willing to fill on-farm vacancies, economic opportunities in these countries — such as an increase in Mexico’s inflation-adjusted dollars — are reducing the push factor for migration.

“It means there’s more economic activity, there’s more job opportunity and there’s less push to leave Mexico and go to the U.S. for dollars,” he says. “There’s still a lot of push to come up here, but it’s not what it used to be.”

When looking at the data, Stup notes fewer young people are looking for work.

“The average age of foreign-born employees is about 42 years,” he says. For comparison, the average age of U.S. born employees on farms is 36 years old.

Stup says technology will be used in places where the work is repetitive and heavy manual labor. He also underscores the need for retention programs and attracting a diverse pool of workers. Skills such as critical and systems thinking, data savviness and comfort with animals will be essential for future dairy workers. Education, whether formal or through on-the-job training, is equally important.

The decreasing labor supply poses significant challenges that could hinder U.S. economic growth if not addressed. Without strategic interventions in demographic policies, a shift in immigration approaches, or incentives to boost labor participation, the labor market’s stability remains at risk.

Your Next Read:
How Data and AI are Transforming the Dairy Industry for Tomorrow

Increased I-9 Audits Forcing Dairies to Fire Employees, Exposing Immigration Flaws; There is a Short-Term Fix

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 11:18:47 GMT

Nervousness and frustrations are spreading across the dairy industry. It’s not U.S. Immigration and Customers Enforcement (ICE) raids causing the uneasiness. There’s now an increase in I-9 audits targeting dairies.

At least nine dairies were targeted with I-9 audits over the weekend, according a source in the dairy industry. That follows a South Dakota dairy who was surprised by an audit earlier this month. With reported flaws in the E-Verify system, the audits are resulting in dairies being forced to fire employees who are found to have illegal documents and only given 10 days to do so.

“I’ve heard it from both Texas and South Dakota dairy producers that they are having I-9 audits,” says Rick Naerebout, CEO of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association. “Uncertain as to the timing if these audits were triggered before Trump came out and said he was going to pause enforcement on farms. Really, we haven’t seen the same level of enforcement on farms since he came out a few weeks ago and made those public statements. You’ve had some other public statements that have somewhat conflicted that, but it does feel like there’s a different posture from this administration right now.”

There have been reports of ICE raids in other areas, but the increase in I-9 audits is isolated to mainly two states: South Dakota and Texas so far.

“Honestly, what’s a little bit curious about that is those are both red states, and there seems to have been a focus more on blue states and red states. And you, one of those states seems to be the [Secretary Noem’s] home state,” he adds. “So, there’s some curiousness to it all. I’m really not sure what’s triggering these I-9 audits. Typically, our experience in Idaho when we’ve had a dairy producer go through an I-9, it’s usually triggered by a former employee complaining after they’ve been let go. That’s been kind of the trigger is somebody complaining and then DHS coming in and and conducting an I-9 audit after there’s been an accusation of employment of unauthorized individuals, but really not sure, you know, what triggered these in those two states.”

What the Dairy Industry is Pushing to Change

Even though it seems to be isolated to South Dakota and Texas, it’s creating a nervousness on dairies across the country. And that’s because of the increased issues it’s causing with labor.

The dairy industry seems to be on an island when it comes to finding a legal workforce. Dairies aren’t seasonal, therefore they can’t utilize H-2A , and that’s something the dairy industry is pushing to change.

John Boelts, an Arizona farmer who’s also president of Arizona Farm Bureau, says the farther you get from the border, the more challenging it is to find enough labor within agriculture.

“We need programs that really address what we need in agriculture as far as on a labor basis,” Boelts says. “Many will point to H-2A and say, ‘Well, you have an uncapped H-2A guest worker program,’ and that’s a valid point. However, I’d like to point out that H-2A was designed very keenly not to work very well, to be cumbersome, challenging, expensive, all of the things that don’t fit very well into an agricultural model. That said, it’s the lifeline that American agriculture has today.”

H-2A is a program widely used in agriculture, but one that has drawn criticism for not only the rising cost, but also how complex it is. Those in agriculture argue the system, as it exists today, doesn’t do enough to cover the vastness of American agriculture. That includes dairy farms, dairy processors and produce processors.

And while H-2A is far from perfect, the dairy industry can’t use H-2A today, the one guest worker program that does exist, according to Donald Grady, the senior director of legislative affairs at the international dairy foods association.

“The H-2A program, while it works for large swaths of agriculture doesn’t work for dairy. And because of the fact that dairy is a 365-day-a-year operation, it doesn’t matter — Christmas, New Year’s, your birthday — cows must get milked. And that milk needs to get processed for Americans to safely consume it,” Grady says. “So we are looking to be able to expand the H-2A program so that dairy operations on-farm and in the plant can have another tool in their toolbox to meet their labor needs.”

Changes Are Needed to H-2A to Include Dairies

Grady says for dairy to be able to use the H-2A program in the U.S., the seasonality requirements in the program would need to change to year round. That’s one fix.

“But for processors, we need another specific change, and that is a change to the definition of agriculture, labor and services,” Grady says. “Right now, it does not include processing that does not happen on the farm. So, if you’re on a farm like a packing house for a fruit and vegetable operation, you can still use H-2A workers in that packing plant. But if that packing plan were just across the street and not on the farm, you couldn’t use those workers there. Dairy, obviously, the processing is largely located away from the farm. And so for us to be able to access H-2A, we need to change the definition of ag labor and services so that processing can be included.”

It’s a short-term fix, for what the dairy industry calls a long-term problem. Labor issues have plagued the dairy industry for decades, and it’s a situation that’s only getting worse.

“We need to figure out how we can simply improve our labor pool so that we can meet the needs that we have,” Grady says. “I think as we hear from our IDFA members across the board, we are down about 10% on our labor needs. That accounts to thousands and thousands and thousands of workers. When you look at the fact that we are over 3 million in the dairy manufacturing, retail and marketing side. So when you’re looking at just in the plant, that’s thousands of workers that we need. And this is a tool that would be able to help us in the immediacy.”

There is Momentum for Change

Even though there’s an increase in I-9 audits on dairies, leaders within the dairy industry say for the first time in nearly two decades, there does seem to be momentum for changes to the H-2A program and address the pain points with the current immigration system.

“You do hear some really good things coming from the administration right now about trying to solve the farm labor crisis, and it’s never had this amount of focus from any president, serious amount of focus, and it feels like there’s a serious amount of focus and an earnest desire to try and do something to solve our problem for us, which is a blessing,” Naerebout says. “We’ve been rebuffed by both Republican and Democrat presidencies in the past. We’ve been rebuffed by Republican and Democratic controlled Congresses, and to have a president take this issue on and begin to try and address it, and he and some of his secretaries have taken some pretty strong heat for for trying to solve this problem from his base, but he seems to be really, you know, earnest in trying to find a solution for us.”

E-Verify System is Also Exposing Flaws

One dairy operation was forced to fire nearly 40 employees, as they still scramble to find employees to back fill those jobs. That’s creating a new concern: Are the labor shortages a matter of animal welfare?

“I don’t think we’re quite there,” Naerebout says. “That’s always a concern, especially if you have a number of these audits that happen in a given area, and if you see a response like we saw in New Mexico a month or two ago where the response to that I-9 audit seemed to be DHS showing up and, you know, hauling workers away. That’s new.”

It’s not like these dairies are knowingly hiring individuals with false records. All dairy farms are required to use the E-Verify system, but the recent focus on finding illegal immigrants has exposed another issue: The E-Verify system is also flawed.

It’s a system that’s been used for more than two decades. For employers to make sure they are hiring legal immigrants, they use E-Verify, which is a government program that verifies those employees are authorized to work in the U.S.

In other words, these dairy operations are hiring employees who have been vetted through the E-Verify system. Yet, once an I-9 audit happens, it’s exposing that some of those employees submitted either illegal paperwork, or forms that weren’t theirs. And there’s no way for a dairy to know. That’s what the E-Verify system is meant to do.

It’s a long-standing frustration for dairies who’ve always been exposed to I-9 audits. It’s just until recently, the I-9 audits haven’t been as frequent.

“I definitely feel it’s flawed,” Naerebout says. “We also feel very strongly that it should not be on the employer to determine legal status of people in the country. That should be the job of the federal government. They shouldn’t be putting that on any employer, whether it’s agriculture or any other sector of the economy. That’s an unfair burden to put on the employer.”

What Needs to Happen Long-Term to Fix the Immigration System for Agriculture?

What needs to happen in the long-term? That solution lies with Congress. In order for the U.S. to address immigration laws that were written in 1986, it will take an act of Congress.

“We need to figure out how we can create a system that benefits our farmers by giving them access to workers and benefits the workers so that they can be able to cross the border legally and safely without having to feel like they’re going to get trapped in their home country and not be able to come back and work or feel as though they have to use different means to try and get into this country,” Grady says.

“We need a system that would benefit workers just as much as employers, but it’s the employers who need the workers for sure,” Boelts says.

The reality for growers like Boelts is no matter how high of wages producers pay, they are having more trouble finding the labor needed to fuel the U.S. with fresh produce and food.

“The challenge is for the American consumers, they need to look at it from a fairness standpoint,” Boelts says. “A worker working in Mexico harvesting broccoli or lettuce that then is shipped into the United States, might make $20 a day. Where we’re often offering around $20 plus an hour to work here in the United States. So it just doesn’t make sense. There’s really no reason why we shouldn’t be producing for the U.S. market right here in the U.S.”

Agriculture argues Congress needs to step in. Boelts says he is appreciative for an administration that is listening to farmers. So, what would Boelts tell the Trump administration when it comes to immigration? It’s this:

“I would ask the president and Secretary Rollins to take on a position of leadership, speak to both Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate, and say, ‘Look, you’ve been hearing about this for years from farmers and ranchers all over the country. We all know what needs to happen. We need to reform agricultural workers, the public policy governing folks coming into the country, both temporarily and permanently. We need options for agricultural producers.’”

Boelts says the solution can’t just be the argument that there is a temporary guest worker program that exists today, because that system is been broken.

“We have cows that need to be milked, livestock that needs to be tended day in and day out, sometimes year round, sometimes temporarily. We needed a program that’s designed to work for American agriculture, period,” Boelts says.

Naerebout agrees that even with the headlines focused on ICE raids, and now increased audits, President Donald Trump is listening to farmers and fixing what many argue is a broken immigration system, and we might finally see some solutions.

“We’ve not had this kind of traction with an administration ever on this issue,” he says. “Maybe Reagan, but I was 7 years old when Ronald Reagan worked on this issue back in 1986, so I can’t really speak to what the mood was then, but we’re cautiously optimistic here in Idaho. We’re watching what the president’s saying, we’re continuing to stay in close contact with our Senate and congressional offices to continue to make sure that when they get the opportunities to put a bug in the president’s ear, and anybody in the administration’s ear about our needs, that that’s happening.”

Naerebout says after 20 plus years, he thinks agriculture finally has a legitimate chance on solving a problem that’s been plaguing the industry. And that solution needs to not only come from the White House, but the long-term fix needs to be addressed by Congress.

Rural America is Facing a Mounting Labor Crisis

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 21:02:49 GMT

The American labor market is reaching a critical turning point that could tighten labor availability in rural industries and slow growth across the U.S. economy. A new quarterly report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange warns that demographic shifts and recent policy changes may start impacting businesses as soon as late 2025.

From livestock and crop operations to food processors and rural cooperatives, this labor shortage is becoming especially noticeable in the heart of America’s farmland. Many producers are already struggling to fill roles, and the challenge is expected to intensify in the coming months.

“Barring an unforeseen change in labor force participation rates or immigration policies, the pool of available workers is set to shrink sharply in the next few years,” says Rob Fox, director of CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange. “The problem will be even more serious in states with slower population growth in the Upper Midwest, Corn Belt and Central Plains.”

Demographic Pressures Mount

Fox says the warning signs have been building for years. Labor force participation has steadily declined, birth rates have dropped and immigration policy has become more restrictive.

Between 2022 and 2024, nearly 9 million immigrants arrived in the U.S., driven by global humanitarian crises and relaxed federal rules. While that influx temporarily eased labor constraints, Fox says it only masked deeper, long-term trends.

U.S. fertility rates have fallen from 2.12 children per woman in 2007 to 1.62 in 2023, meaning fewer young people are entering the workforce just as the last of the baby boomers retire. In addition, labor force participation has slipped from a peak of 67% in 2000 to 62% today. Nearly 2.5 million working-age Americans have left the labor force in the past eight months alone.

“There is no single reason people are stepping away,” Fox explains. “It’s a combination of rising caregiving responsibilities, job skill mismatches, mental health challenges and higher disability rates. These are complex issues that won’t be resolved overnight.”

Shrinking Workforce Hits Agriculture Hard

The effects are already being felt across rural America. Farms, food processors, equipment dealers and cooperatives are struggling to find and keep the workers they need to maintain daily operations. Seasonal labor has become harder to find and full-time positions, especially those requiring specialized skills or long hours, are increasingly difficult to fill.

In regions with slower population growth, such as the upper Midwest and central Plains, the challenge is even more acute. These areas often lack the population inflows that help offset workforce losses elsewhere in the country.

While labor has been tight for several years, Fox warns that conditions are poised to deteriorate further.

“What we are facing is not just a cyclical labor issue; it’s a structural one,” he says.

Border encounters have dropped sharply since August 2024, signaling a steep decline in immigration. Combined with rising political pressure to increase deportations, the agricultural labor pool could shrink even more in the months ahead.

“Immigration has long been a key pillar supporting the rural workforce,” Fox notes. “Without a steady flow of new workers, farms and agribusinesses will have to get creative, either by increasing wages, automating tasks or changing how they manage production.”

Technology Offers a Path Forward

In response, more agricultural businesses are turning to technology to help offset the labor gap.

“The key to addressing labor scarcity always lies in innovation,” Fox says. “AI and robotics are no longer limited to the factory floor. They are increasingly being used in fields, dairies and food plants.”

A recent Gallup poll found that nearly one in five workers already uses artificial intelligence in some form each week. At the same time, the cost of robotics has dropped by nearly half in the past decade, making automation more accessible for a broader range of farms and agribusinesses.

CoBank’s report notes that many farm supply customers are using new tools to increase efficiency, improve decision-making and free up time for employees to focus on higher-value responsibilities.

Planning for What Comes Next

As producers look toward 2026, a combination of labor constraints, volatile input costs and shifting policy landscapes will continue to shape decision-making. Fox thinks adaptability will be essential.

“Technology will be critical to agriculture’s future,” he says. “AI and robotics can help farmers do more with fewer workers, boosting efficiency and margins. But investment decisions must be made carefully, especially in this uncertain economic environment.”

Until clearer policies emerge on trade, labor and energy, rural America will need to prepare for continued pressure.

“This is a pivotal moment,” Fox concludes. “Farms that plan ahead, embrace innovation and stay flexible will be best positioned to succeed.”

Rollins Says H-2A Reforms Likely Soon

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 20:19:29 GMT

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins says the administration is looking at ways to improve the efficiency of the H-2A guestworker program and make it easier for growers to use. Rollins made the announcement during a meeting of the Western Governors’ Association held in Santa Fe, N.M.

The administration will have more details coming soon as well as announcements from the Department of Labor and the Department of Homeland Security.

“We have all been directed by the president to come up with solutions to fix and solve this problem immediately,” Rolins says.

Rollins acknowledges Congress will play a key role in larger H-2A visa reform.

“It’s a congressional act,” she says. “Significant changes can’t occur without our partners on the Hill.”

But she also adds H-2A reform is a bipartisan issue, and while long-term fixes are on the table, there’s an opportunity in the short term to alleviate the burden of the application process.

“The idea that the farm I visited this morning, here in New Mexico, Silver Leaf Farms, they provide 250,000 heads of lettuce to local schools and communities here in New Mexico,” she says. “They don’t have the capability when they need to hire a couple more workers for their harvest to hire and spend tens of thousands, if not more, on legal help to get them through.”

Rollins says the administration seeks to improve the processes to ensure growers have the workforce needed.

“How we can streamline the current process, obviously within current law, to make sure it is much more efficient, that those we are bringing in from Mexico or from wherever, from around the world, to work the fields, to ensure we have the labor force we need, that they’re able to do that efficiently, effectively and not cost prohibitively,” she says.

Agriculture in the Bull's-Eye: Raids Reportedly Resume on Farms, Meatpacking Plants

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 18:40:22 GMT

After President Donald Trump reportedly ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) to pause raids on farms and meatpacking plants last week, new reports say the administration is reversing course again. The on-again, off-again reports regarding ICE raids is sowing confusion for those who rely on immigrant labor and already causing labor shortages due to employees not showing up for work.

There was an update again late Friday, with President Trump saying he’s looking at new immigration policy steps that would allow farms to take responsibility for people they hire.

The Washington Post first reported Monday that ICE officials told leaders representing field offices across the country they must continue to conduct raids at worksite locations, which is a reversal from guidance issued just days earlier.

Officials with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wouldn’t confirm the Washington Post’s report, but an agricultural association told Farm Journal the article is accurate based on their discussions with the administration.

Instead, DHS told us this:

“The president has been incredibly clear. There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE’s efforts,” says DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safe guard public safety, national security and economic stability. These operations target illegal employment networks that undermine American workers, destabilize labor markets and expose critical infrastructure to exploitation.”

By Friday, there was another update. Reuters reported President Trump said he was looking at immigration policy steps that would allow farms to take responsibility for people they hire.

“We’re looking at doing something where, in the case of good, reputable farmers, they can take responsibility for the people that they hire and let them have responsibility, because we can’t put the farms out of business,” Trump told reporters. “And at the same time we don’t want to hurt people that aren’t criminals.”

According to Farm Journal’s Michelle Rook, the recent ICE raids are already creating absenteeism and labor shortages that could severally disrupt the U.S. food supply. Ag groups are again calling for immigration reform with hopes the issue will finally come to a head.

Ripple Effect of Immigration Crackdown

Joe Del Bosque, owner of Del Bosque Farms in Firebaugh, Calif., is experiencing the rollercoaster with labor, saying the shifting policy strikes fear in farmers and workers.

“There’s so much uncertainty as to what the administration’s going to do,” Del Bosque told Rook on AgriTalk this week.

Del Bosque says the raids on California produce farms are disrupting the harvest of perishable produce.

“They haven’t been really huge sweeps. They’re usually picking up a few people. But it creates a lot of fear, and people don’t show up to work. That’s just as bad as if they were taken away,” he says.

According to an exclusive report by Farm Journal’s The Packer , the ripple effect of Trump’s immigration crackdown on agriculture could be far-reaching — if the administration revives its focus on ag.

Kevin Kelly is the CEO of Emerald Packaging — the largest flexible packaging supplier to the leafy greens industry. Based in Union City, Calif., the company has been in the packaging business for 62 years. Kelly says the immigrant workforce in California is feeling uncertain and afraid.

“We’ve certainly heard folks aren’t turning up to work in the fields, and we’ve seen it in our facility. We verify everybody, so we know everybody in our facility is documented and can legally work in the United States,” Kelly tells Jennifer Strailey, editor of The Packer. “In our case, it’s brothers and sisters being deported, and other family members being afraid. Our employees are staying home to help their family members move, to take care of them or to take them to see an attorney — that kind of thing.”

Dairy operations in several states have also been raided recently. Dairy producers say they rely on immigrant labor to provide a stable year-round work force and to keep the U.S. food supply stable.

“We need these people to take care of our animals so we can produce food. Without animal care, we won’t have milk, cheese, butter — nothing,” Greg Moes, MoDak Dairy in Goodwin, S.D., told Rook.

The recent ICE arrests at Glenn Valley Foods of Omaha, Neb. have also led to absenteeism at meat processing plants.

“At the beginning of the Trump administration, we had this same worry with the crackdown — whether this was going to impact absenteeism and things like that,” says Brad Kooima, Kooima Kooima Varilek in Sioux Center, Iowa. “So, hopefully we can put that in our rearview mirror.”

By the Numbers: A Heavy Reliance on Immigrant Labor
The news this week of the Trump administration putting a pause on raids of farms and meat processors is welcome news for those in agriculture. From dairies and produce farms, to meatpacking plants across the U.S., these sectors rely heavily on immigrant labor.

Immigrant labor makes up a substantial portion of the meat processing workforce, with estimates ranging from 37% to over 50%. However, states like South Dakota and Nebraska have even higher concentrations of immigrant workers in meat processing — reaching 58% and 66%, according to the nonprofit Migration Policy Institute.

And a large portion of U.S. dairy farms rely on immigrant labor, with estimates indicating that over half of all dairy workers are immigrants. Specifically, these workers account for 51% of the total dairy workforce and are responsible for producing 79% of the U.S. milk supply.

Farmworker Justice estimates 70% of the produce industry’s farmworkers are immigrants. USDA’s estimates are lower — closer to 60%.

A Sigh of Relief? Trump Orders Pause on ICE Raids of Farms, Meatpacking Plants

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 15:58:51 GMT

President Donald Trump is reportedly ordering Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) to pause raids on farms and meatpacking plants, softening the potential blow to industries that rely heavily on immigrant labor. The news comes after a week of ICE seemingly targeting dairy farms, California produce farms and a meat packing plant in Nebraska.

New York Times first reported on Thursday Trump said he would issue an order soon to address the effects of his immigration crackdown on the country’s farm and hotel industries, which rely heavily on immigrant labor. According to reports, the new directive still allows for investigations into serious crimes such as human trafficking.

“We will follow the president’s direction and continue to work to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens off of America’s streets,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told “U.S. Farm Report” in a statement.

The Department of Homeland Security and top White House officials continue to say that ICE is targeting “criminals” and “criminal illegal aliens.” However, as more dairy farms and a meat production plant were targeted, that called into question if it’s just criminals ICE was targeting.

Recent Raids on Farms and Meatpacking Plants

The raid on Glenn Valley Foods, a meat production plant in Omaha, Neb., drew national attention. That raid is what the Department of Homeland Security called the “largest worksite enforcement operation” in the state during the Trump presidency.

Glenn Valley Foods was founded in 2009 by Gary Rohwer, and according to their website they sell steak, chicken and corned beef products to restaurants and grocery stores. Rohwer said he was surprised by the raid and had followed the rules regarding immigration status. The plant used E-Verify, a federal database used for checking employees’ immigration status. But the warrant by ICE officials that said they had identified 107-people who they believed were using fraudulent documents.

Congressman Don Bacon, R-Neb., told local media 75 to 80 people were detained, but four people were also arrested for assaulting ICE agents during the operation. Officials say an investigation is ongoing and additional arrests could be forthcoming, authorities said.

“While carrying out an enforcement operation in Omaha, Nebraska an illegal alien from Honduras threatened federal officers and agents with a box cutter. These are the type of threats and assaults our brave law enforcement face every day as they put their lives on the line to protect and defend the lives of American citizens,” McLauglin also said in a statement to Farm Journal. “Our ICE enforcement officers and agents are facing a 413% increase in assaults against them. Thankfully, no ICE law enforcement was hurt in this operation. The operation was successful and resulted in the arrest of 76 illegal aliens. This was the largest worksite enforcement operation in Nebraska under the Trump administration.”

It’s not just meatpacking plants that saw increased ICE presence last week. Immigration officials also continue to visit dairy farms across the country. There were reports of raids from South Dakota to New Mexico.

@HSIElPaso executed a search warrant at Outlook Dairy Farms in NM & arrested 11 illegal aliens for violations of fraud & misuse of visas, permits & other documents. 1 was previously removed from the US, 9 banned from the US. LeaCountySO HSILasCruces HSI Roswell #EROElPaso #WSE pic.twitter.com/PzLKBJIdQE
— HSI El Paso (@HSIElPaso) June 4, 2025

ICE shared a photo on X saying it executed a search warrant at “Outlook Dairy Farms” in Lovington, N.M. Officials say they arrested 11 people for violations of fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents, including nine who investigators say were already banned from the U.S.

The owner of the dairy farm told the Albuquerque Journal that the people arrested supplied him with false paperwork and that following an audit before the raid he’d been required to fire 24 other workers on the farm.

Worries were starting to mount as ICE raids ramped up on dairy farms, according to DairyHerd.com .

By the Numbers: A Heavy Reliance on Immigrant Labor

The news this week of the Trump administration putting a pause on raids of farms and meat processors is welcome news for those in agriculture. From dairies and produce farms, to meatpacking plants across the U.S., those are sectors that rely heavily on immigrant labor.

Immigrant labor makes up a substantial portion of the meat processing workforce, with estimates ranging from 37% to over 50%; however, states like South Dakota and Nebraska have even higher concentrations of immigrant workers in meat processing, reaching 58% and 66%, according to the nonprofit Migration Policy Institute

And a large portion of U.S. dairy farms rely on immigrant labor, with estimates indicating that over half of all dairy workers are immigrants. Specifically, these workers account for 51% of the total dairy workforce and are responsible for producing 79% of the U.S. milk supply.

Farmworker Justice estimates 70% of the produce industry’s farmworkers are immigrants. USDA’s estimates are lower, estimating that number is closer to 60%.

Ripple Effect of Immigration Crackdown

No matter the exact number, it’s clear agriculture- and the produce industry- relies on an immigrant workforce. According to an exclusive report by Farm Journal’s The Packer , the ripple effect of Trump’s immigration crackdown on agriculture could be far-reaching, if the administration revives its focus on ag.

Kevin Kelly is CEO of Emerald Packaging, which is the largest flexible packaging supplier to the leafy greens industry and based in Union City, Calif. The company has been in the packaging business for 62 years, and says the immigrant workforce in California is feeling uncertain and afraid.

“We’ve certainly heard that folks aren’t turning up to work in the fields, and we’ve seen it in our facility. And we verify everybody, so we know everybody in our facility is documented and can legally work in the United States,” Kelly tells Jennifer Strailey, editor of The Packer. “In our case, it’s brothers and sisters being deported, and other family members being afraid, and our employees staying home to help their family members move, to take care of them or to take them to see an attorney, that kind of thing.”

In an early morning raid, ICE agents are seen chasing farmworkers through an Oxnard field. The raids coming as the federal gov't ramps up immigration enforcement in SoCal. Continuing coverage of the ICE raids, protests and unrest - Tonight at 11 from ABC7. https://t.co/bSJpCk8byb pic.twitter.com/oQQismAu2j
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) June 11, 2025

He says there’s an irony taking place, as some of their employees voted for the current administration with the assumption only criminals would be targeted in an immigration crackdown. But he says “that’s clearly not what’s happening.” He says harvesting lettuce is back-breaking work, and it’s work that they can only find immigrant labor to do.

“We should be handing them gold stars, not throwing them out of the country,” Kelly says.

Kelly adds that half of the nation’s farm labor is undocumented. That includes electricians, plumbers and welders that the U.S. all relies on.

“And now it’s suddenly occurring to us that we rely on them?” he says.

The National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE), a national association focusing on agricultural labor issues from the employer’s viewpoint, recently sent a letter to the Trump administratio n.

“The Council and our members are encouraged by President Trump’s recent comments recognizing the critical importance of the agricultural workforce. His comments are spot on. After years of being subjected to pejorative policies that ignored the realities of rural America and often demonized those living and working in those communities, the President’s comments are a welcome change of pace: we must protect our Farmers,” NCAE stated in the letter.

NCAE also said “he success or failure of America’s hardworking farmers and ranchers largely depends upon their ability to find ready, willing, able, and qualified labor to help them complete the countless tasks it takes to grow food to feed the nation and the world.”

Why Can’t Congress Pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform

It’s evident immigration reform is a major issue for agriculture. No matter who you talk to in agriculture, if they use any part of the immigration system, they will tell you it’s broken.

With an inadequate immigration system in the U.S., why can’t it be fixed? According to agricultural economists surveyed in Farm Journal’s Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor , it’s too political.

One economist said, “Immigration reform is a huge issue for the U.S. economy and must be addressed. However, it is so politically sensitive that very few Senators or Congressmen are willing to push the issue.”

“Congress has a vested interest in keeping this issue unresolved in the current partisan environment,” said another economist.

“Getting anything started and passed in an election year will be tough, let alone something as confrontational as immigration,” was another economists’ response.

Greater border enforcement and mass deportations were two major pledges made by Trump as he campaigned to reclaim the White House. But as Congress continues to debate Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” immigration reform doesn’t seem to be on Congress’ near-term agenda.

Your Next Reads:

Bracing for Significant Disruption: Q&A with Emerald Packaging CEO Kevin Kelly in Wake of ICE Raids

Worries Mount as ICE Raids Ramp Up On Dairy Farms

The Kids Aren’t Coming Back to the Farm – Now What?

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 19:38:03 GMT

“Grandpa and Grandma passed the farm down to my parents, then my parents passed it down to me. We’re hopeful the next generation will take over in the next few years.”

Sound familiar? It’s the story shared on countless family farms across the country — an unspoken hope that the torch will pass naturally. No formal plan, just a quiet assumption: Our kids will come back.

But here’s the tough question no one wants to ask:

What if they don’t?

What if they have other dreams?
What if they’re not cut out for the job?
What if you’ve spent your life building something worth continuing, and no one is waiting to carry it forward?

Who runs the farm then?

It’s a question more farmers are grappling with as rural demographics shift, career choices broaden and fewer children return home after college. While it might not be the path you envisioned for your operation, the absence of a next-generation successor doesn’t mean the end of your farm. But it does mean it’s time to think differently.

Whether it’s transitioning to a trusted employee, partnering with a young beginning farmer, exploring lease-to-own arrangements or even selling to a like-minded producer, there are more options than you might realize. The key is being proactive, not reactive.
Long story short, waiting and hoping isn’t a succession plan.

Know Your Options
When a family successor isn’t in the cards, it doesn’t mean the legacy of your farm has to end. Whether your kids aren’t interested, aren’t able, or just aren’t the right fit, there are still ways to ensure the operation you’ve built continues to thrive.

1. Long-Time Employees
Sometimes your successor is already part of your team. A trusted employee who understands your operation, shares your values and has a strong work ethic might be the ideal candidate.

“It involves identifying the right person, mentoring them over time and gradually transferring responsibility,” says Jessica Groskopf, agricultural economist and extension educator at the University of Nebraska. “When done well, it’s incredibly rewarding for both parties. But it does take time, trust and careful legal planning.”

Don’t wait until retirement to start the conversation. Begin involving them in decision-making, management and financial discussions early. Let them see what it takes to run the business. Not just the day-to-day labor, but the big-picture strategy.

Formalizing their involvement with clear expectations, written agreements and timelines can also protect both parties. Work to create a succession roadmap that includes phased ownership, buy-in options or profit-sharing models to help them build equity over time.

2. Beginning Farmers
There are many young, aspiring farmers ready to work hard, but they lack land or capital. Connecting with young producers through farm incubator programs, state-level beginning farmer initiatives or land-linking platforms can lead to meaningful partnerships.

“These agreements between non-relatives are actually very common,” says Julia Valliant, a research scientist at Indiana University. “According to USDA data, land is most often accessed through a non-relative, either through rental or purchase.”

Programs across the country are designed to help match landowners with beginning farmers and even offer incentives for transitions to socially disadvantaged or beginning producers. Some states also provide tax benefits to landowners who sell or lease to a qualified beginning farmer, helping reduce the financial risk of transition while encouraging generational renewal.

3. Business Partners or Co-Ownership Models
If your kids aren’t coming back, co-ownership might be another way to ensure the farm’s legacy lives on while bringing new energy and ideas into the operation.

“That might mean forming a formal business entity, like an LLC or corporation, where ownership is shared,” says Kelly Wilfert, farm management outreach specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

However, these arrangements are not one-size-fits-all.

“Multiple owners may divide ownership of individual assets such as land, equipment or livestock, or simply share ownership of the entity that holds those assets,” Wilfert says. “This flexibility allows outgoing owners to structure transitions in stages, working alongside future owners to gradually shift responsibility.”

It’s Still Your Legacy
A non-family transition doesn’t mean your farm’s story ends; it simply turns a new page. What matters most is that it continues in a way that honors your work, your values and the community it supports.

“Have open and honest conversations with your family about this,” Groskopf says. “Understand each other’s values and goals. That emotional clarity paves the way for good business decisions.”

And don’t go it alone. Extension educators, ag consultants and estate planning attorneys can help you sort through the legal, tax and emotional complexities of transitioning your farm. But you have to take the first step.

In the end, waiting isn’t a plan. And doing nothing is still a decision.

Your Next Read: Growing Pains and Big Gains: A Wisconsin Dairy’s Fast-Paced Journey From 70 Cows to 700

Quiet Crisis, Unfolding Rapidly: Big Questions Remain For Next Gen Farmers

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 21:43:13 GMT

Florida fresh produce grower Jim Alderman says one thing is his biggest worry.

“Who is coming behind us? That’s the part that keeps me up at night. It’s not just about growing crops, it also passing down knowledge, discipline and our way of life,” he said during a recent congressional hearing on the aging workforce in agriculture.

Earlier this year, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) spearheaded a special committee report on America’s Aging Farm Workforce.

Four drivers were highlighted:

Aging demographics
Declining farm numbers
Barriers for new farmers
Regulatory and economic pressures

As a follow up, on June 4, the senate special committee he oversees had a hearing “America’s Vanishing Family Farms.”

“Unfortunately, the farming and agricultural workforce is aging and nearing retirement, and fewer and fewer young people are looking to take over their family’s farms or enter the agriculture industry,” Sen. Scott said. “We face significant challenges to agricultural production, rural community sustainability, and U.S. food security. Here’s why this matters: U.S. food security is national security.”

Recent stats he points to include:

1/3 of farmers and ranchers are over the age of 65
This same group owns more than 40% of U.S. farmland
More than 80% of farmers work a second job
Since 2007, 200,000 farms have disappeared
The 2022 census showed the loss of over 140,000 farms in 5 years. That’s an average of 77 farms per day. 
Since 2007, more than 40 million acres of farmland is now used for commercial, residential or industrial purposes
Farmland prices have increased 7% in three years

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) is ranking member on the special committee for aging and said, “To encourage younger generation to returning to Farmer we farming, we must invest in our rural communities.”

Witnesses shared testimony highlighting the pain points, overall trends and discussed potential policy solutions.

“As I travel the country and see farms across our great country, I see a lot of gray hair, and while the wisdom of older generations is critical, we must ensure that we make a way for young and beginning farmers to fill our boots,” said Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation.

What are those policy provisions that could assist with the farm labor issues?

1. The Farm Bill
In his testimony, Duvall shared a getting a farm bill passed by congress is critical to signal stability and predictability in agriculture.

“We need a modernized 5 year farm bill,” he said. “Rising interest rates, higher energy prices, supply costs that have gone unchecked, farmers will plant the most expensive crop ever planted this year, and many have faced a tough decision of whether or not to even plant that crop. This is why the farm bill and its Title One safety net is so critical.”

2. Estate tax provisions

Duvall also highlighted the importance of the estate tax exemption for farmers for transitioning the farm business from one generation to the next. He applauded the House for its consideration of in the One Big Beautiful Bill it recently passed, and encouraged the senate to follow.

3. Farm worker programs, specifically H-2A

“It’s time to modernize our outdated system, and only Congress can meaningfully do that,” Duvall said.

Alderman uses H-2A labor and says reform is a must.

“We are now dependent on H-2A labor from Mexico,” he said. “Without them, we can’t harvest our crops.”

For Alderman in Florida, whereas minimum wage is $12.50/hour, H-2A labor is compensated at $26/hour plus the expense of housing, transportation and visas.

Duvall adds the federal government needs to revisit its wage structure for H-2A labor, citing the wage rates were set by a study done 60 years ago intended to calculate on-farm employment totals, not compensation.

“We’re going to price ourselves out of farming,” he says. Duvall is advocating for an updated program and one that includes year-round provisions for dairy farmers, and other parts of the industry that need full-time labor not just seasonal help.

“How can a young farmer come back to the farm and bring his expertise that he learned in college, expand that farm without having a labor force to do that. It’s one of the biggest limiting factors we have,” Duvall says.

4. Economic stability, risk management and trade.

“The incentive to make a profit isn’t there,” Alderman says. “If the farmer isn’t going to make money, he’s not able to expand his operation.”

Aaron Locker, Managing Director, Kincannon & Reed calls this a quietly unfolding crisis that is rapidly cutting across the agriculture.

“And the consequences for our food supply, our rural communities, and our national security are serious,” he said. “The 1980s farm crisis didn’t just damage balance sheets. It’s changed the interest of being involved in agriculture. That gap is being realized today in board rooms, field office, agronomy teams and more.”

The witnesses answered questions about President Trump’s trade policy and tariffs, with Duvall saying farmers have supported the president’s long-term vision to bring a “level playing field,” but he also says this fall will be a critical time for some progress when farmers are slated to harvest and sell commodities at low prices with high input costs.

5. Regulatory considerations.

Alderman says there are areas of his fresh produce business being over-regulated, which has put extra financial pressure when competing with imported crops. As an example, he points to multiple food safety inspections which could be replaced with a one-time inspection.

And in conjunction with the regulation on his business, he has seen how a lapse in regulatory authority over imported produce inspected at the borders has negatively effected the industry.

“For example, the citrus industry with citrus greening, it’s devastated the cirtrus industry. We have gone from 240 million boxes of oranges in production to around 40 million boxes today,” he said, and added Florida produce growers are introduced with a new thirp or weevil every growing season, which takes months to contain and identify proper controls.

6. Provide mental health resources

Christopher A. Wolf, Ph.D. from Cornell University says its New York FarmNet receives 700 calls a year. Financial stress include price uncertainty, labor cost and availability, capital costs, land access, and estate and succession planning. Family-related farm stressors include health insurance, childcare, eldercare, and drug and alcohol abuse.

“Male farmers have a suicide rate 3.5 times higher than the national,” he said. “Financial stress is one of the primary contributors to the depression and suicide rate. Additionally, mental health stigma and lack of access to care are major barriers.”

Op-Ed: Secretary Rollins Announces Policy Proposals to Enhance Support for Family Farmers

Mon, 19 May 2025 15:11:37 GMT

Small family farms are the backbone of our nation. Throughout our history, they have secured the promise of liberty made by our Founders. And they are the indispensable foundation of democratic civics and republican virtues. As Thomas Jefferson wrote to James Madison in 1785, “small landholders are the most precious part of a state.”

Today, with my friend Governor Jim Pillen, we kicked off the Make Agriculture Great Again Initiative at Ohnoutka Family Farm in eastern Nebraska. This new policy initiative at USDA will address a series of issues within food, agriculture, and rural America but will specifically focus on challenges faced by small family farms.

We know these challenges, such as labor costs and availability, are not easy ones to address. But we are committed to focusing on the needs of Americans who operate small farms because of their patriotism and commitment to their land.

USDA Steps Up to Address Obstacles
During my time as Secretary of Agriculture, I’ve met with family farmers who have faced too many obstacles as they work to maintain or start new operations.

For example, many small farms lack reliable access to capital. At USDA, we are reforming the Farm Service Agency loan program to streamline delivery and increase program efficiency.

The acquisition of land for new farmers has also become increasingly difficult amid high costs and real estate development. That’s why we’re using prioritization points and regulatory action to disincentivize the use of federal funding for solar panels to be used on productive farmland. And we’re expanding permitting of unused or underused federal land for long-term leases to small farms and streamlining the federal land leasing process so the program works better for farmers and adjacent landowners.

We are also aware many new farmers lack access to infrastructure such as cold storage and processing facilities. To address this disparity, we are working to provide state-level grants for infrastructure tied to the needs of new farmers. And by the end of the year, we will ensure applications for every farmer-focused program are available for electronic submission.

And finally, we are working with governors and state legislators around the country to find solutions to the challenges small farms face. We recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture to find areas of collaboration between USDA and the states, which are the laboratories of democracy.

State and Federal Governments Must Work Together
Earlier this month, we hosted a roundtable at USDA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., with small-farm operators from around the country. We had the privilege of welcoming hog farmers from Ohio, third-generation local producers from Virginia, first-generation dairy farmers from Mississippi, Amish and Mennonite farmers from Pennsylvania, and many others who have devoted much of their lives to the land and their customers.

The Founders did not chart the path of our nation so USDA bureaucrats in Washington can look over the shoulders of law-abiding American citizens.

As I was reminded by the witness of those who visited USDA, the Department of Agriculture was founded so every farming mother and father can raise their children, work their land, and spend time with their families and their God.

This is the mission of USDA, and now, under the leadership of President Trump, is the time to return to the fundamental work that will restore rural prosperity in forgotten communities across the nation.

Based on feedback from the hundreds of small family farmers I have met and talked to over the last 90 days, USDA is now making tangible changes to our policies to ensure family farmers can continue to work their land and new farmers can take on this way of life without obstruction.

While USDA has many programs to assist farmers, we know it takes government entities, non-profits, and the private sector focusing their efforts together to improve the viability and longevity of small family farms.

We were honored to announce this new policy initiative in Nebraska today. The existence and work of small farms are too central to our nation’s history, cultural heritage, and food supply to allow them to slowly disappear from our landscape. To steer clear of a problem that every American wants to avoid, it is imperative that federal and state governments provide proactive intervention so these small operations can preserve their inheritance for generations to come.

5 Easy Steps to Better Invest in Your Employees

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 17:40:01 GMT

Each year, farmers make significant investments in their operations, whether it be new equipment, new technology, or infrastructure improvements. However, to maximize the return on these investments, they must also focus on hiring and retaining skilled, engaged employees. According to Dr. Bob Milligan of Dairy Strategies, LLC, one often overlooked but essential investment farmers neglect to make is in employee development.

“Unlike physical assets, employee development doesn’t require massive capital—but it does demand a commitment to fostering growth and continuous improvement. The key is making it a priority,” Milligan says.

Milligan outlines five essential employee development tools—ranging from one-time training events to continuous improvement systems—that farmers can implement to strengthen their workforce.

1. Create a Development Plan
One way to make sure employees keep learning and growing is by having a clear plan in place. A well-structured development plan ensures employees have clear goals for professional growth.

According to Milligan, a strong development plan may include:

On-farm training opportunities.
Reading materials, virtual resources and webinars.
Off-farm learning experiences such as workshops or industry conferences.

Milligan suggests that plans be reviewed and updated in late fall or early the following year, allowing owners and employees to align educational opportunities with these focus areas.

2. Develop a Performance Improvement System
Beyond individual growth plans, it’s also important to have a system in place that helps employees understand expectations and track their progress. A strong performance improvement system answers two essential employee questions:

What is expected of me?
How am I doing?

“While all businesses set expectations and provide feedback, an unstructured approach leaves employees uncertain, frustrated, and less effective,” Milligan adds. “Many farms rely on annual performance reviews, but research suggests they are often ineffective feedback should be timely, not delayed until year-end.”

Milligan notes that a structured performance system should include:

Providing ongoing, informal feedback to help employees refine their skills in realtime.
Frequent structured check-ins, ideally monthly, to review progress and reset expectations.
An annual strategic meeting focused on future growth, replacing outdated performance review models.

3. Conduct Stay Meetings
A stay meeting is a great way to check in with employees and keep them engaged for the long haul. Instead of looking back like a traditional performance review, it focuses on the future—helping set goals and make a plan for success.

During stay meetings, Milligan highlights three key areas to focus on:

Have a clear purpose: Work together to boost performance, job satisfaction, and keep good employees around.
Look ahead, not back: Unlike regular reviews, stay meetings focus on growth and future goals.
Make it a two-way conversation: Supervisors should listen, ask questions, and get input from employees.

4. Communicate
Good communication is key to keeping things running smoothly on the farm. Whether it’s working together as a team or making important decisions, strong communication makes a big difference.

“In my opinion, the keys to excellent communication are listening, asking questions, and psychological safety,” Milligan says. “Psychological safety means feeling safe to take interpersonal risks, to speak up, to disagree openly, and to surface concerns without fear of negative repercussions or pressure to sugarcoat bad news.

5. Create Career-Oriented Compensation
Keeping good employees around takes more than just keeping them happy—it takes showing them they have a future on your farm. Stay meetings help build that long-term commitment but pay and benefits play a big role too.

“Younger and often first-line employees typically focus on having cash as their compensation. As employees age, advance, and become more family-oriented, they seek benefits like excellent health insurance and a retirement program. Balancing these differing desires, especially in our difficult labor market, is a challenge,” Milligan notes.

Being flexible with pay structures and openly communicating with employees about their needs can help create a compensation plan that supports long-term retention.

Give It a Shot
At the end of the day, investing in your employees is just as important as upgrading equipment or adopting new technology. A strong, engaged team keeps the farm running smoothly, and when people feel valued and see a future with you, they’re more likely to stay. By focusing on these five steps, you won’t just build a workforce—you’ll create a team that’s in it for the long haul.

Your Next Read: Leading By Example: How this Employee Became the Best in the Business by Being Genuine

30 Minutes With Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins In Her First Week On the Job

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:14:00 GMT

Since Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024 , Brooke Rollins has been focused on how to build the teams and the plans that impact the trajectory of agriculture and rural America. On that day, while en route with her husband and four teenagers in their motor home to Auburn, Ala., for the Texas A&M football game, she got a call from now President Donald Trump. The purpose of his call: She was his top choice to fill his final significant cabinet position, Secretary of Agriculture.

Obviously, she had to wait for confirmation, which came last week on Feb.13 when the Senate overwhelmingly confirmed her as the 33^rd Secretary of Agriculture , but since that Saturday before Thanksgiving, she’s been on the go with an accelerated enthusiasm to understand the significant challenges facing rural communities that lost 147,000 family farms between 2017 and 2022 and why the cost of inputs are up 30% as exports are down $37 billion this year and likely to fall further in the months to come.

“This is a crisis, and this is something that I understand inherently,” Rollins said to kick off Top Producer Summit in Kansas City on Tuesday. “My promise to you is this, and my commitment will never waver, that every minute of every day for the next four years I will do everything within my power, with hopefully God’s hand on all of us and our work, to ensure we are not just entering the golden age for America, as my boss, President Trump, likes to say, but we are entering the golden age for agriculture.”

What Has Rollins Been Up to the Past Four Years?
Secretary Rollins and President Trump have worked together for almost eight years. She was in the West Wing with him for years two, three and four of his first term running his domestic policy agenda.

“This real estate guy from New York City brought that vision to life, and then in the last term, was able to really do some remarkable things,” Rollins said in regard to President Trump returning power to the people who just want a chance at the American dream. “I call it the great pause, the four years in between term one and term two. But I think the great pause allowed very intentional planning. It allowed a courageous and bold leader in President Trump to become a fearless leader and to do everything he can to bring America back to greatness.”

In the “dark days of January 2021,” as she described, Secretary Rollins helped launch the America First Policy Institute, a think tank established by former Trump officials to promote conservative policies. The idea was that those policies that made America great in Trump’s first term would continue indefinitely, not just for a second term, but for four years, eight years or 36 years, Rollins described.

First Week On the Job
Since being confirmed last week, Secretary Rollins has been in the Washington, D.C., USDA office for a few hours, but most of her time has been spent in Kentucky at National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville and Gallrein Farms and in Kansas visiting Finney’s County Feeder, High Plains Ponderosa Dairy and the National Beef Packing Plant .

Describing herself as “a reader and a studier,” Rollins seems adamant to hear firsthand from farmers and ranchers. She referenced her visits to the dairy farm and National Beef facility as inspiring, in a good way but also in a way that helps her understand the real challenges at hand.

Speaking to the crowd at Top Producer Summit, she shared her appreciation for the “entrepreneurial American game changers” who are doing their part to feed the world.

“It is so inspiring and a reminder of the very beginning of our country.” Rollins said. “Our revolution was fought by farmers, our Founding Fathers, like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. The backbone of the great American experiment is this community.”

Thank you @topproducermag for hosting @RogerMarshallMD and me in Kansas City, Missouri, with 1,000 of the Top Producers from across the US to talk about issues like expanding trade access and cutting regulatory red tape for farmers.

Biden’s ZERO trade deals and inflationary… pic.twitter.com/ejMxKxkRMG
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) February 19, 2025

Farmer Q&A
Watch and listen to what Secretary Rollins, as well as Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas, had to say on stage at Top Producer Summit about these 7 topics:

Trade and tariffs — “ Let’s go barnstorm the world , and let’s go find some more trade partners and access [to market opportunities],” Rollins said.
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts and modernizing USDA — “DOGE is a very valid and important effort across all government. The stories of waste and abuse were really just, not USDA specific but across government, beginning,” Rollins said.
Federal programs, such as CSP and EQIP — “Our commitment is that if there have been commitments made, those will be honored. Getting our arms around all of that right now is really, really, important. Again, going back to the President’s heart and commitment to our farmers, I feel confident we will be able to solve any issues that are in front of our ag community, that are potentially being compromised by the DOGE effort, while at the same time recognizing how very, very important it is,” Rollins said.
Future of USDA — “There’s no question USDA needs some modernization. I’m just beginning to lean into that as well,” Rollins said. USDA has 106,000 employees and 29 departments. “The Secretary is taking over a department where only 6% of the [D.C.] people work in the office,” Marshall added.
Renewable fuels — Prior to President Trump’s first term, he was “the first major candidate to support biofuels, and I think that carried him through Iowa in many ways. … We’ve got E15 year-round. I think that gives us some certainty as well. … The President is supporting that. I think we’re trying to figure out how to save 45Z, but we can’t let China benefit from it. Right now, China is benefiting more from [45Z] than my farmers and ranchers are, so we’ve got to fix that,” Marshall says.
Immigration policies and availability of long-term labor — “I have a full-bodied understanding of the challenges within the labor market, and I believe the President does too. … I believe that we will very soon be talking about it again. Clearly, the H-2A program needs significant reform, and Lori Chavez-DeRemer, she’s going through the [confirmation] process right now. … Hopefully she’ll get her vote very soon. We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Rollins said.
Trump’s cabinet members — “Our cabinet is comprised of people that have been working together and have been friends and colleagues for years, with a few exceptions. Bobby Kennedy is a new friend, but Lee Zeldin and I worked together in America First Works and America First Policy Institute for the last almost four years, Linda McMahon in education and John Brooks — these are our people,” Rollins said.

3 Ways To Stop The Threat Of Complacency In 2025

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 16:47:38 GMT

In a world full of threats to our livelihood in agriculture, what is the biggest danger we face in 2025?

Is it election hangover, continued low prices or issues with the new farm bill? All concerning, yes, but I’ll argue the biggest threat to businesses of all sizes is actually internal. It’s one word: complacency. It’s that tendency toward thinking deep issues will go away. Complacency happens to our operations when we decide we are simply too busy working in the business to work on the business.

Fortunately, there are a couple quick call outs you can consider.

Three Ways to Stop Complacency in 2025

Hire right.
Have you taken an honest look at how you are building your bench for the future? How far from retirement are you right now? Have you begun that new CEO search?

Besides your own successor, what does hiring look like for your team in 2025 and into the next two to three years. Most importantly, is this topic getting the attention it deserves? While many top producers don’t enjoy the process of hiring and firing, avoiding it means not being prepared for changes, emergencies and long-term growth.
Solve the problem even if you inherited it.
I’ve heard many times from second- or third-generation producers that they just “have to live with” some problems because they inherited them. Just because you didn’t initiate the problem doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to solve it. In the past two columns we even talked about culture change and how to shift culture, so you might take a re-read of those if this topic hits home.

Complacency really takes root with the attitude of: “Well, I didn’t create this mess, why should I clean it up?” Instead, look at ways to become proactive and take the necessary steps to rectify long-term problems. What aspect of your business is messy and requires the necessary clean up this year? What have you been avoiding in the operation that must be resolved to grow and thrive?
Build anew.
Radical change is sometimes the easiest fix. While that seems ridiculous in light of what we just covered in number two, often, when it’s time to change, it’s time to change big. Take a look at all aspects of your business and marketing model. Is the process of change already happening to you while you’ve not yet begun to shift with it? For example, new markets, such as programs in sustainability, are becoming mainstream. Does is make sense to wait until full adaptation of these initiatives or is there a fit for your business in the near term?

“Fix it, close it or sell it’’ was a favorite slogan credited to former General Electric CEO, Jack Welch. What this means is that there are diminishing returns by being in a business where you are not the market leader. Maybe a new diversified business line that supports your more traditional production system is the way to build anew. Either way, looking at where the future of your business could be at least once a year is essential and keeps you ahead of the complacency trap.

Dear Reader: After 10 years and nearly 40 editions, it’s time to retire The Farm CEO Coach column from Top Producer Magazine. The Farm Journal brands are trusted, reliable sources of information and commentary, and it is an honor to engage with this organization and readers. I am still writing, coaching and consulting in agriculture and look forward to continued occasions to work with the portfolio of magazines when the opportunity presents. Stay in touch by connecting on LinkedIn or Instagram.

Nalivka – Thoughts On U.S. Labor Productivity and Cowherd Productivity

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 01:04:49 GMT

I recently wrote about productivity and its impact on the beef industry. These productivity gains are not unique to the beef industry, The entire red meat and poultry industry has become more productive and in fact, we have seen this across all of agriculture. It is not my intention to harp on this topic, but the impact is significant, and this goes beyond agriculture and to the U.S. economy.

Worker productivity as defined by the total output of the economy divided by the total number of hours that Americans have worked posted a 2% gain during third quarter 2024. This was the fifth straight quarterly gain of 2% or more and far surpasses the five years before the pandemic when there was only two straight quarters with gains of 2% or higher.

So, you ask where is this discussion headed and what does productivity in the beef industry have to do with productivity in the U.S. economy? The short answer is that just as American workers are the source of economic growth in the U.S. economy, economic growth in the beef industry is impacted by the U.S. cattle herd. When American workers become more productive, this fuels economic growth, but at the same time, reduces the demand on the labor force, By the same token, a more productive cowherd fuels the growth of beef production which in turn reduces the need to increase cow numbers to generate that same growth. This was the crux of my article on beef productivity that I referenced.

Every analyst has an opinion about the timing and speed of growing the cattle herd based partly on market analysis but also based on opinions of cattlemen’s intentions which concern many distinct factors. Generally speaking, we are generally on the same page with indicators pointing to slow growth in rebuilding of the U.S. cattle herd. This is an important discussion. But, more important in this discussion, is the implication of not needing as many cows to produce the same amount of beef as 10 years ago or even 5 years ago. The implications for every aspect of the industry from business management to resource management are substantial.

This topic of herd productivity does not appear in many, if not most, of the discussions or articles about herd building going forward. It should. Productivity gains do impact the rate of herd growth, but at the same time, create capacity challenges for the industry.

Your next read: Cattle Producers Can Create Value Through Strategic Crossbreeding

25 Labor Goals for 2025: Enhancing Performance Through Employee Evaluations

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:45:10 GMT

The beginning of a new year can serve as a time to sit down with farm employees and go over their performance. Measuring their performance can help you both identify how well the employee executes on explicit and implicit standards, goals and priorities.

One of the most important duties you will have as an employer is to evaluate employee performance . Letting an employee know how he or she is performing can encourage the employee to perform at a high level, and letting the employee know he or she has fallen short can help reinforce expectations. You should attempt to do evaluations in a positive manner, and keep a written record of the evaluations to help document job performance.

“By asking specific, targeted questions in employee evaluations, managers can really dive into individual performance, employee motivations, and goals. This added level of depth shows employees their development is valued and gives managers ways to help employees grow,” says Natalie Wickham of Quantum Workplace. “Employee performance reviews are key to understanding and improving employee performance. But all too often, employee reviews fall flat and have little impact because managers are asking the wrong performance review questions.”

Instead of asking the wrong questions, Wickham suggests asking these instead:

Overall Performance

What accomplishments this year are you most proud of?
Which goals did you meet? Which goals fell short?
What motivates you to get your job done?
What can I do to make your job more enjoyable?
What are your ideal working conditions to be the most productive?

Employee Strengths

What personal strengths help you do your job effectively?
What makes you the best fit for your position?
What skills do you have that you believe we could use more effectively?
What kind of work comes easiest to you?

Areas of Improvement

What goals were you least proud of? Why? How will you do those differently in the future?
What challenges have you faced in your role, and how can we work together to address them?
What 2-3 things will you focus on in the next year to help you grow and develop?
What can I do to help you better meet your goals?

Current Role

Which job responsibilities/tasks do you enjoy most? Which do you least enjoy?
How do you think your role helps the company succeed?
What do you like least about your current role? What would you change?
What do you like most about working for this company?

Future Outlook

What are your most important goals for the next year?
What do you want your next position at this company to be? How would your responsibilities change?
What professional growth opportunities would you like to explore in order to get there?
What type of growth is most important to you?

Manager-Employee Relationship

What (if any) concerns do you have when it comes to giving me feedback? How can I alleviate those concerns?
What additional resources or support could I provide to help you succeed in your position?
How do you prefer to receive feedback and/or recognition for your work?
What are two to three things could I do differently to better manage you?
What do I do that is most/least helpful for you when it comes to completing your work?
What can we do to improve our relationship?

Your Next Read: Farm Business Resolutions for 2025

What The Trump Administration's Mass Deportation Plans Could Mean for Agriculture

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:39:38 GMT

Farmers and food industry leaders are warning that President-elect Donad Trump’s plans to deport millions of immigrants could devastate agriculture — an industry in which immigrants make up a good chunk of the workforce.

Nearly half of all farmworkers are undocumented, and industries such as dairy and meatpacking plants are especially vulnerable to labor shortages.

“Admittedly, there are some people who slip through,” says Scott VanderWal, vice president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. “Perspective employers are required to take documentation that appears to be legal and valid. There are times when that’s not the case and then ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] comes in and cleans house, the workers disappear and go wherever they take them and the employers are left without help.”

While the H-2A visa program has grown, it only covers seasonal work and cannot replace year-round jobs at meat processing plants and on dairy and pork farms.

“Our packing plants need labor. Many of our farms use temporary visa labor — educated, skilled individuals work on our sow farms,” says Lori Stevemer, president of the National Pork Producers Council. “We have been experiencing an increased number of denials over the past year, which really makes it a challenge to find workers. The H-2A visa doesn’t work well when we have animals that need care 24/7, year-round.”

Experts say mass deportations would disrupt food production, raise prices and jeopardize the stability of U.S. agriculture.

Deportation falls under the Department of Homeland Security. President-elect Trump has selected South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem to lead that agency.

“With Governor Noem at the helm, she’s going to bring common sense to that discussion and make sure we don’t close businesses, make sure we get everyone in line, get the workforce in line and then make sure we’re following our country’s rules,” says Hunter Roberts, secretary of South Dakota’s Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Meanwhile, farm groups continue to urge for reforms to immigration policies or a guest worker program to secure a stable workforce.

“At the same time as controlling the border, we need to overhaul our labor system,” VanderWal says. “We need to make H-2A apply to your own workers or come up with a decent program that will help.”

We need some type of H-2A visa reform to allow those workers to stay year-round, Stevemer adds.

Even then immigration is likely to continue to be a political hot potato in 2025, and labor shortages will continue to top the list of challenges for agriculture.

2025 Ag Workplace Trends: What Employers are Saying

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:24:00 GMT

“What are you hearing out there? Are employers still hiring?” These are common questions posed to AgCareers.com as a job board and human resources service provider specific to the agriculture and food industry.

To help agricultural employers compete for top talent, we not only analyze what is happening on our job board and learn from conversations with employers, but we also aim to identify issues, opportunities and trends by surveying agricultural employers in our annual HR Review.

Pressure is on for Employers
AgCareers.com recently analyzed the 2025 Agriculture and Food HR Review data to provide an outlook of what agricultural employers experienced in 2024 and what they expect in 2025. Retention continues to be top of mind for employers, persistent even into the focus of recruitment strategies in the new year. Employers are also feeling the pressure to get compensation right, along with concerns about rising wage rates. Most employers are experiencing recruitment difficulties, amplifying compensation and retention issues.

Agricultural employers need people, and keeping those they already have in place is a top priority. Staying on top of how to reward their employees is essential to retention. From flexibility to bonuses and appropriate salary increases, employers in the industry are increasingly aware of the competitive nature of keeping their top talent while enabling the ability to effectively recruit new talent when posed against both competitors inside and outside the industry.

The AgCareers.com HR Review details employers’ plans for salary increases, workforce development and training, benefits and more.

Your Next Read: A Winning Mentality Motivates This Illinois Livestock Industry Teacher, Coach and Mentor

The Ultimate Guide for Training Ranch Employees

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 21:54:30 GMT

Picture this. You take the time to go on vacation during the winter and can leave the ranch without taking the stress with you. You are at ease knowing your employees can handle anything that comes up. The best part is you don’t get a single phone call or text about frozen water lines, sick calves, cows being out or equipment that doesn’t work. While this sounds like only a sweet dream, it is attainable for you and your employees to achieve this level of training, communication and trust.

Erin McKnight ranches with her husband and their sons in the Sandhills of Saskatchewan, Canada. They rely on employees to help them keep the ranch operating smoothly, but like many ranchers have experienced the negative impacts of poor communication and lack of training. The difference with the McKnights is Erin recognized these gaps and created a solution that can be easily replicated across ranches.

“I was a registered nurse for 10 years and our whole first year of nursing college was about communication,” she says. “I thought it was unnecessary at the time, but once I started working in an emergency room, I realized how important it was. Clearly communicating with your teammates builds trust and it is the same thing on farming and ranching operations.”

McKnight took her past experiences in nursing and ranching and created Ranch Academy – an online training platform for ranch employees and family members.

Ranch Academy is a complete guide of trainings for ranch employees that can be customizable to each operation.

Examples of trainings include transporting cattle, treating cattle, troubleshooting water lines and wells, equipment safety, and power tool safety. Employees can access trainings from their phones to read instructions and watch videos to prepare for an upcoming task or troubleshoot a current one.

“Nobody wants to pull up a YouTube video and fast forward to the 30-second clip they need,” McKnight says. “These trainings are short and sweet yet effective.”

Once ranchers purchase this program, they can go through and adjust trainings and directions to fit their needs and preferences.

Ranch Academy is used by a variety of individuals — from people with no ag background who want to be ranch hands to new spouses and even kids returning to the operation. This program is versatile. The ability to train employees who didn’t grow up on a ranch is especially beneficial as it opens up more hiring options for ranchers.

A quality employee training and communication program is part of a good risk-management protocol.

Whether you look into McKnight’s Ranch Academy or other options, remember the following quote by Zig Ziglar, “The only thing worse than training employees and having them leave is not training them and keeping them.”

Investing in the time and resources to properly train your people will increase productivity, reduce the costs that come with mistakes, save time and improve employee retention.

Listen to the whole episode: The Ultimate Guide for Training Ranch Employees

East and Gulf Coast Dockworkers Now on Strike Over Wage Demands, Halting Key U.S. Cargo Shipments

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 12:53:50 GMT

A disruptive strike at ports along the East and Gulf Coasts began today as the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) walked out, affecting 14 port authorities and key cargo shipments. The first strike since 1977, it halts the flow of goods ranging from bananas to beef, pork and poultry, to industrial materials, leading to potential shortages and price hikes.

The ILA is demanding a significant 77% wage increase over six years, while the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) late Monday offered last-ditch effort of a nearly 50% raise over six years, triple employer contributions to employee retirement plans, strengthen health care options, and retain the current contract language around automation and semi-automation. It hoped that offer would lead to resumption of collective bargaining.

The ILA rejected the offer and stated that its wage demands were still not being met. The union said in a statement sent on Monday morning that USMX “continues to block the path toward a settlement on a new Master Contract by refusing ILA’s demands for a fair and decent contract and seems intent on causing a strike at all ports from Maine to Texas.”

The Biden administration is urging both sides to reach an agreement, but federal intervention under the Taft-Hartley Act is unlikely. The Taft-Hartley Act grants a U.S. president the power to suspend a strike for an 80-day “cooling off period” in cases where “national health or safety” are at risk. ILA President Harold Daggett threatened an intentional worker slowdown in moving containers if the Biden administration forces the union workers back to the docks using the Taft-Hartley Act. “You’re better off sitting down and let’s get a contract and let’s move on with this,” he said.

Bargaining for a new six-year contract between dockworkers, represented by the ILA, and shipping companies and operators are represented USMX, started in February 2023. According to a 2020 report by the Waterfront Commission, the regulator that oversees New York Harbor, more than half of the longshoremen based there made $150,000 or more. The ILA is asking for a $5-an-hour raise for each of the six years of the new contract, which means the hourly rate could reach $69 by 2030, a 77% pay increase. The union is also asking for better benefits and opposing the use of automated technologies at ports.

Murky member figure. While the union says there are about 45,000 members covered by the contract, the USMX puts the number of port jobs closer to 25,000, with not enough jobs for all the workers in the union to work every day.

Impacts: For the week ended last Friday, nearly $14 billion in trade arrived at these ports, including New York/New Jersey, Baltimore, Norfolk, Virginia, Savannah, Georgia, Miami, New Orleans and Houston, with $2.7 billion in trade arriving on Friday alone. On average, it takes one week to clear out one day of a port closure. As much as 43% to 49% of total containerized goods entering the U.S are processed through ports on the East Coast and Gulf Coast.

A one-week strike would cost the U.S. economy about $2.1 billion according to an estimate Monday from the Anderson Economic Group (AEG), a Michigan research firm with expertise in estimating the cost of strikes and other disruptions. Most of that would be a $1.5 billion loss in value of some of the goods that wouldn’t be delivered on time, such as perishable goods. Transportation companies, including ship lines and ports, would lose $400 million, while striking workers and those who might be temporarily laid off, would lose $200 million in wages. Losses would start to accelerate the longer the strike continued, said Patrick Anderson, the president of AEG. “A strike lasting longer than a week will begin to impact retailers and manufacturers as supply chain movement grinds to a halt.” But he said estimates of $1 billion a day in losses are exaggerated, especially considering the preparations many shippers had made in advance of the strike deadline. To hit those numbers “you’d have to sink the ships… A strike at the port delays trade, but does not destroy it,” he said.

____________________________________________________________

Your Next Read: Expect Significant Impact on Pork and Beef Industries if East and Gulf Ports Strike

Port Employers Exchange New Contract Offers with Longshore Union in Bid to Avert Strike

Port Employers Exchange New Contract Offers with Longshore Union in Bid to Avert Strike

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 01:31:43 GMT

Port employers said they have exchanged new contract offers with the International Longshoremen’s Association, just hours before a strike deadline takes effect that would shut down container handling at East and Gulf Coast ports.

“In the last 24 hours, the United States Maritime Alliance and ILA have traded counter offers related to wages,” the employers said in a statement posted to their website. “The USMX increased our offer and has also requested an extension of the current Master Contract, now that both sides have moved off their previous positions. We are hopeful that this could allow us to fully resume collective bargaining around the other outstanding issues — to reach an agreement.”

The group of terminal operators and ocean container lines said their new offer would increase wages by nearly 50%, triple employer contributions to union retirement plans, strengthen health care options, and retain the current language around automation and semi-automation. No further details were disclosed.

The ILA earlier rejected the employers’ offer, but with negotiations said that the union has lowered slightly its demand for a 77% wage increase over six years of the master contract, and that the USMX has increased their initial offer.

Your Next Read: Chances of a Strike at East Coast and West Coast Ports are Growing; Here’s How it Could Impact Farmers

Top Biden Admin. Officials Urge 'Good Faith' Negotiations as Port Strikes Set to Start Next Week

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 19:27:48 GMT

Top Biden administration officials are meeting with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) to urge good faith negotiations in the ongoing labor dispute with the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA).

The meeting includes:
• Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
• Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su
• White House senior economic advisor Lael Brainard

The officials are conveying directly to USMX “that they need to be at the table and negotiating in good faith fairly and quickly.” This message was previously delivered to the ILA earlier in the week.

A potential strike looms at East Coast and Gulf of Mexico ports starting Oct. 1 if no deal is reached. The ILA represents 45,000 dockworkers at 36 ports along the U.S. East Coast and Gulf of Mexico. Negotiations have stalled over wage issues and concerns about automation. The current contract expires on September 30.

The White House is pressing both sides to engage in sincere negotiations promptly.

A strike could significantly disrupt shipping, potentially leading to shortages and increased prices for consumers. By meeting with both parties, the administration is attempting to facilitate a resolution before the deadline to avoid a potentially damaging work stoppage at major U.S. ports.

How a Shutdown Would Impact Agriculture and Energy

The majority of soybean and grain exports from the Gulf or East Coast would not be impacted by the negotiations between the ILA and the USMX.

While bulk grain exports would be largely unaffected, the strike would impact containerized agricultural exports: Soybeans, soybean meal, and other agricultural products exported via containers would be affected.

Specific containerized soybean exports that could be impacted include:

• Norfolk: 1,616,854 metric tons

• New York/New Jersey: 372,110 metric tons

• Baltimore: 324,500 metric tons

• Charleston: 217,892 metric tons

• Other ports with smaller volumes

Indirect effects on grain producers. While grain export facilities may not be directly impacted, there could be indirect effects on grain producers: The strike would significantly impact exports of chilled or frozen meat, eggs, and other livestock products, which are primarily shipped in containers. Any harm to the U.S. livestock industry would indirectly affect soybean and grain farmers, as these industries are interconnected. East and Gulf Coast ports accounted for 44% of U.S. waterborne pork exports and 29% of waterborne beef exports in the first half of this year. New York/New Jersey, Wilmington and Charleston were the largest East/Gulf ports for pork exports and Houston was largest for beef.

Of note: The energy industry could also be affected: Gulf Coast ports are crucial for energy exports, particularly liquefied natural gas (LNG). Any disruptions could impact the flow of energy resources. These industries are particularly vulnerable due to their reliance on timely shipments, just-in-time inventory systems, and the critical nature of their products.

Your Next Read: Farm Bureau Warns of Severe Impact on Agriculture From Potential East Coast, Gulf Port Strike