With an ageing population and a decrease in young people entering the workforce, many businesses are faced with a shortage of quality employees. As the baby boomers begin to retire, the comparatively smaller workforce of young workers means it is more important than ever to plan ahead when considering employment, succession and business growth.
Our purpose at SproutAg is to help our clients grow, and we do that by providing services that lay down the foundation for a successful future. In particular, SproutAg’s Ag Pro program assists clients in business growth and planned succession services to help farming businesses transition over time.
When helping clients undertake successful succession planning, one key barrier is the inability to source people in their business due to the lack of talent in the area. This lack of skilled employees greatly inhibits business owners in their ability to tap into great people who can manage or work on farm. Advertising on a singular platform for job seekers, such as in the newspaper, contributes further to limiting this pool of potential candidates.
Attracting people and talent into a farming business is often treated as an administration task with little to no strategic planning in the process. It is often the case that a single person in your farming business managing your farming operation can have a considerable impact on your overall profit and loss. Having competent and reliable people in your business allows owners to step away from the farm with confidence that it is being looked after, which is crucial to sustaining a viable long-term business.
It can take at least twelve months of planning to be able to source the right people for your business. Obtaining good people for your business requires forethought, planning and time. It is not an overstatement to say it can be one of the most important decisions that you can make as a farm business owner.
Having good people in your business
- – Allows you to scale and increase profitability.
- – Allows you to get away from the farm.
- – Reduces risk in your business.
- – Allows you as the business owner to concentrate on growing and strengthening other areas.
Tips on sourcing people
- – Plan ahead and allow a good amount of time – Start twelve months in advance (yes, twelve months).
- – Involve people as part of your annual planning meeting.
- – Get a professional to assist you in obtaining talent for your business.
- – Start with a wide net of potential candidates.
- – Take the time to get to know the best candidates before choosing someone.