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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
(c) Copyright 2025 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.
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