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Farmers say labor is a concern for the 2023 season

Some farmers are concerned about attracting and retaining employees ahead of the 2023 season.

North Central Indiana Farmer Scott Smith raises corn, soybeans, and processing tomatoes and says it’s becoming more challenging to find seasonal workers.   

“We depend a lot on seasonal labor and there’s a shortage of that. It seems to be harder every year, but we need reliable help and it’s just very hard,” he says.  “We have labor for about 30 days in the spring and about 60 days of harvest and to find an incentive to get workers to come up and do this kind of work to provide food is hard. It’s getting harder to get these workers today.”

The Tipton County farmer, who is currently serving as president of the Indiana Corn Growers Association, says technology can only do so much.  

“Technology has reduced some of these numbers, but the need for these workers is very important to the American farmer,” he says. “I’m only speaking from the perspective of my farm. We raise corn mainly for ethanol, soybeans for seed, and processing tomatoes. These different crops require some seasonal labor for us.”  

Audio: Scott Smith

Central Indiana Farmer Phil Ramsey says the agriculture industry requires specific skills that are sometimes hard to find.

“Labor is always an issue. It’s just really hard to find anybody to work and that has the ability to be able to operate equipment without a lot of training,” he says.  

The Shelby County farmer says retaining employees is another challenge. 

“We have trouble after we hire an employee getting them to work every day and to realize how important It is to come to work and communicate with us. We have a lot of turnover,” he says. “…it’s hard to get employees that can do the job that we need done right now. Labor is probably our number one issue, but we’ll deal with it and we’ll move on and work a few more hours and we’ll get the job done.”

Audio: Phil Ramsey

Brownfield interviewed Smith and Ramsey during annual legislative breakfast by the Indiana Corn Growers Association and Indiana Soybean Alliance Membership and Policy Committee.