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Attracting a new generation to agriculture
An ag recruiter says agricultural employers need to keep an open mind when searching for talent.
Lori Culler, founder of the Michigan-based company Ag Hires, tells Brownfield farms and ag businesses need to look for skills that potential employees can transfer to the job rather than agricultural experience. “We’re seeing a huge trend, especially the past five years, of individuals outside of agriculture coming into agriculture that have similar skills or transferable skills, because at the end of the day a lot of times that farmer is looking for those inherit traits.”
Culler says to attract the millennial generation the industry needs to provide better work-life balance. “If we’re going to be competitive in agriculture for good talent, the one area that we really need to fix and focus on is how do we still get that work done in peak seasons, but how do we offer a little bit more work-life balance?”
She says while agricultural jobs have historically paid less than the market average, overall compensation is trending higher to become more competitive with other sectors.
AUDIO: Interview with Lori Culler
Lori,
I enjoyed hearing your interview and have certainly seen a number of the changes you identified through my experiences over the past 40 years. I wish you continued success in your business and hope that you can continue to be blessed and work in the Agricultural Industry.