News

Worldwide labor shortages affecting multiple sectors of the ag industry

Labor shortages continue to cause ripple effects throughout the global ag industry.

A group of US farmers in Europe visiting CLAAS production facilities saw how the global equipment manufacturer is implementing automation.

Director of Supply Chain Management Dietmar Dusing says technology has helped replace labor. “Cost, speed and space – because you can concentrate space on small feet per area.  Then you can concentrate automation so you save working time.

But, Illinois grain elevator owner David Rumboldt says, automation isn’t as easy to implement, and growers are waiting longer to unload crops. “We can’t get the help and we have to go to an outside source.”

Farmer Tim Ifft says they can only find family members during planting and harvest seasons. “They can help us during the busy time of year.”

CLAAS’s state-of-the-art parts facility cost nearly 2 million euros to build that is fully automated to service customers.