Family Business Matters       07/07 11:58

   How You Can Become the Employer of Choice

   Family farm or ranch operations can leverage rural networks, promote 
flexible family culture and offer creative benefits, such as housing assistance 
or ownership opportunities to attract and retain quality employees.

Lance Woodbury
DTN Farm Business Adviser

   Editor's note: For several weeks, DTN has been publishing a series of 
stories focusing on ag labor challenges and solutions. Most of the stories 
first appeared in the Progressive Farmer Summer issue, "Labor Pains." Our 
online series has also included bonus content that didn't appear in the 
magazine.

   Today's story, our last article in the series, looks at how rural family 
businesses have true advantages when it comes to finding and retaining good 
help -- along with strategies they can use when seeking new team members.

   **

   Finding and retaining good help for today's farm and ranch is hard. Making 
it even harder are the challenges of rural community depopulation and a lack of 
amenities like schools, hospitals and entertainment. Consolidating farms and 
slim financial margins. Long hours, physically demanding and, at times, 
dangerous work in remote living conditions. It sounds like a recruiting 
nightmare.

   However, family-owned farms and ranches can overcome these employment 
challenges. In fact, rural family businesses have true advantages when it comes 
to finding and retaining good help. Here are a few strategies you can use when 
seeking new team members.

   USE THE RURAL NETWORK

   Rural communities and regions with smaller populations have relatively 
strong historical and social ties. People often know each other. They interact 
at church or community functions, and play school sports together or against 
one another. They mingle at college.

   While younger community members may leave for college or the big city, there 
are still emotional and relational connections to the small town. I know 
several farms and ranches tracking young people who have moved away. Those 
young people, as they get married and have families, may be interested in 
returning to small-town life to raise their kids. A conversation at the right 
time might result in a local family returning. Consider using social media 
platforms to stay in touch with people who have moved away but might make great 
team members in the future.

   MARKET YOUR FAMILY CULTURE

   Family businesses have a unique culture compared to nonfamily businesses, 
such as farm cooperatives, corporate businesses or government employers. A 
family business can often provide more flexibility in work arrangements and be 
more responsive to an employee's family needs. When an employee or an 
employee's family member has a medical challenge or family event, a family 
business can be more flexible with work expectations.

   Family businesses often consider the operation over multiple generations, 
and their business decisions can reflect such long-term goals, making 
employment less dependent on quarterly earnings or annual budgets. I know 
scores of businesses in which long-term employees are thought of as family and 
have been part of the operation for decades. Long-term job security is rare, 
and family businesses are in the best position to offer it.

   GET CREATIVE WITH BENEFITS

   Family businesses can provide all kinds of creative options to attract and 
retain people. I've seen offers to help with employee land or home purchases. 
Some family companies let employees operate a small farm or livestock 
enterprise alongside their own. I know several farms that have used a remote 
office, located near a bigger city, to capture accounting or administrative 
talent. Several businesses have created methods for employees to either own a 
part of the business or have "phantom stock" in the company so they can build 
wealth. Some employers even help with child care or assist with in-state 
college tuition for employees' children.

   Because many farms provide housing, I've seen several businesses provide a 
house, or payment toward a house, for an employee as a retirement benefit. I 
know of deferred compensation arrangements allowing an employee to receive 
cash, or an insurance policy with cash value, upon retirement. While you must 
follow applicable employment and tax laws, as a small business, you can tailor 
benefits to fit the unique goals of the employee.

   Finding, attracting and retaining the right labor force is not easy. But a 
focus on networking, promoting your family business culture and getting 
creative with benefits can help address the challenge.

   **

   For links to more DTN/Progressive Farmer stories that are part of our 
ongoing "Navigating Ag's Labor Crisis" coverage, visit 
https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/business-inputs/article/2025/06/12
/dtns-special-ag-labor-coverage-list.

   Lance Woodbury can be reached at lance.woodbury@pinionglobal.com   




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