How can Rural America embrace the evolution of their small-town communities through the changing labor pool? In this four-part series, Carthage Veterinary Service and Carthage System shed light on an evolving topic.
The Great Resignation continues to bring challenges and create gaps in the labor pool nationwide, but there is a silver lining to some who have been facing these challenges long before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recruiting international talent is nothing new to the agriculture industry. We have been recruiting from outside of the U.S. prior to 2020, largely due to the shrinking labor pool in most rural communities where our farms are located. In 2019, 44% of agriculture-related occupations were filled by an employee with Mexican origin background. Those numbers have likely increased, as evidenced by the increasing recruitment of international talent within the production systems we service. This impact is greater than just our farms, our international employees and their families integrate into our local communities and schools. By 2025, it is estimated that 1 out of 4 children will be English Language Learners (ELL) in U.S. classrooms. Read the full story.
Part 2: Power of Unique Perspectives
As global demand for protein has increased, America’s pig producers have increased hog production efficiency to higher and higher levels. Our increased efficiency has been driven by a myriad of factors including improvements in health management, reproductive efficiency and nutritional formulation, as well as technology improvements.
Although the industry has progressively applied technology to our farms, the workplace overall continues to demand a human presence to run the technology in a still labor-intensive work environment. Further, technology applications on farm create a greater need for skilled labor to operate, care for and maintain these innovative technology platforms. Read the full story.
Part 3: Power of Unique Perspectives
When we survey our new domestic and international employees alike on their reasons to join our industry, the responses are very similar – they are starting a career in pig production because they are looking for a better work opportunity. While integration into the community will help ensure we provide a solid foundation and help establish roots in the local community, the new employee’s goal is ultimately for them to see success within their career. And thus, the goal becomes quite simple – if we can set our international employees up for success in their job, they will consider their transition into our industry a successful one. Read the full story.
Part 4: Develop an International Recruiting Pipeline
Rural America continues to experience a declining population driven by many factors. International skilled workers seek the opportunity to work in their field of study in a progressive system. And due to the increase in demand for protein, the swine industry needs both a rural setting and skilled workers. When the relationship works – it works well.
The question is where do you begin? First, we need to understand the needs of each entity in this supply and demand puzzle. The rural community employers of all types have the demand for workers to return to their communities. Most of the time, the rural areas do not have the labor pool of skilled workers willing to live outside the urban areas. Decreased population shrinks the tax base which puts pressure on the local municipalities’ tax budgets to provide amenities to attract the younger generations to return home to the family farm or attract others to move to rural agricultural areas. The lack of necessary amenities such as adequate local healthcare, local grocery stores to combat food deserts, and internet availability, play a part in the decision of the children of rural residents to relocate of urban areas and hinders the ability of local communities to attract businesses.
In most rural communities, agriculture industry workforce is their tax base. As the workforce dwindles, the decision makers of the various employers are faced with a tough dilemma. Never wanting to stop working the land they love or leave the communities they have been part of for generations, they are faced with how to make this work. Read the full story.
