How to Make Your Farm the Employer of Choice
Finding and retaining good help for today’s farms and ranches is no easy task. Rural community depopulation, fewer amenities like schools and hospitals, consolidating operations, slim financial margins, long hours, physically demanding and sometimes dangerous work—all in remote locations—can make recruitment seem impossible.
Yet family-owned farms and ranches have unique strengths that can help them rise above these challenges. At De Boer, Baumann & Company, we believe that with the right strategies, your family business can not only attract quality employees but also retain them for the long haul.
Tap Into Your Rural Network
Rural communities are often built on deep social and historical ties. People know each other, attend the same churches, participate in local events, and compete in or cheer for school sports. These relationships create a natural recruiting network.
Even those who have moved away to pursue education or careers in bigger cities often maintain strong connections to their hometown. Many young people who left return once they start families, looking for the safety and community that small-town life provides.
Consider staying connected through social media or informal outreach to people who grew up in your area. A well-timed conversation might inspire a talented local to return home and join your team.
Highlight Your Family Business Culture
Family businesses offer something larger operations can’t: a unique, people-first culture. They can often provide more flexibility in work arrangements and respond quickly to an employee’s family needs.
When an employee or a family member faces a health challenge or family event, a family-run business can adapt and support them in ways larger organizations can’t. Family operations also tend to plan with the long term in mind, focusing on generational continuity rather than short-term profits.
This stability fosters loyalty. Many employees stay for decades, becoming part of the “extended family.” That kind of job security is rare—and it’s something only family businesses can authentically offer.
Get Creative with Benefits
Family businesses have the freedom to customize benefits that meet employees’ unique goals and circumstances. Some examples we’ve seen include:
Helping employees purchase land or a home
Allowing employees to run a small side operation alongside the main business
Offering remote workspaces in nearby cities to attract administrative or accounting talent
Providing opportunities for ownership or “phantom stock” so employees can build long-term wealth
Assisting with childcare or contributing to in-state college tuition for employees’ children
Providing housing or contributing to housing as a retirement benefit
Offering deferred compensation, such as cash or life insurance with cash value upon retirement
While you’ll need to follow applicable employment and tax laws, small family-run operations are often better positioned to think outside the box and create tailored, meaningful benefits packages.
Building Your Future Team
Attracting and retaining the right team members is challenging, but not impossible. By tapping into local networks, showcasing your family business culture, and offering creative benefits, you can stand out as an employer of choice—even in a competitive labor market.
At DBC, we understand the unique dynamics of family-run operations and can help you design strategies and structures that make your farm or ranch a place where people want to work—and stay.
To read the full original article by Lance Woodbury, visit How You Can Become the Employer of Choice.
