You may have had help on the farm before on a seasonal, casual or term basis. Most farms probably have. But farming today is different, and so are the reasons why you might be considering a full-time employee.
So how do you know when it’s time to take the plunge? Will it pay off, or will there be so many headaches, you’ll wish you’d never tried it?
On a lot of farms, the reasons for at least thinking about becoming a full-time employer are getting harder and harder to ignore. There are some obvious signs, of course. You’re always too busy and working too many hours yourself. Maybe you can’t get all the tasks done in a day that you wanted to. Perhaps mistakes are being made because you are tired, or you’re missing out on opportunities that you just don’t have the time or the energy to grab.
Read Also
You don’t have to be a people person to be a good leader
If you read Country Guide you are most likely a farm manager or owner which means that perhaps you’re often…
In today’s agriculture, you may also know your mental health is suffering, and, increasingly, you may buy into the idea that ignoring your mental health means you’re ignoring the health of your farm. You are not getting enough sleep, you’re more irritable than you used to be, not taking the time to eat right. Loved ones are noticing and commenting on changes in your mood and behaviour.
You also know you want more family time but you can’t think about that just now. And you don’t have time for anything outside of the farm, even things that you would like to do — take a vacation or serve on some industry boards, or volunteer in the community.
The paperwork is getting behind as well. It’s hard to find time to sit down and do the financials, meet the crop insurance deadlines, or get the tax forms in on time.
You are missing out on opportunities to expand the farm, try new crops or learn new technologies. You’d love to spend more time on marketing, watch the futures more carefully, and attend conferences and workshops.
What’ll it be like to have an employee?
Being able to work on their business rather than in it was a huge motivating factor for Donovan and Lisa Kitt when they hired their first permanent employee six years ago. Then, after an early hire left, they realized how much difference it had made on their beef, pork, chicken and vegetable farm near Grande Prairie, Alta.
“It was so nice to have the day-to-day stuff covered, so we could focus on higher level things like marketing or building a brand,” Donovan says. “We realized that there were more important things that we should be doing.”
The Kitts had what turned out to be an advantage. Because they’re organic, they’d had access to volunteers through the WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) and also to paid apprentices through the Young Agrarians Apprenticeship Program.
If possible, they now recommend, finding a way to get volunteers, apprentices or mentees on the farm is a great way to get your feet wet as an employer. It helps you figure out what you need an employee to do and how much time you will need to train them, and it helps you develop some management skills.
Besides, you may end up finding the perfect employee as well.
“With WWOOF, they come and help out on the farm for a few hours a day in exchange for room and board, and you can see what their work ethic and attitude is like, and how engaged they are in what they’re doing,” Donovan says. “If somebody is a good fit, we extend an offer to them. That’s how we have found almost everybody that works on the farm. We have four employees now and they’ve all come through the WWOOF program.”
They have also hosted paid apprentices on the farm through the Young Agrarians Apprenticeship Program that matches people wanting to learn about farming to host farms.
(“Apprentices are paid employees on a host farm, and the host farms often pay from a combination of wage subsidies and their own money,” says Alex Pulwicki, a program manager at Young Agrarians. “It is a great way for employers to promote their job opportunity and to find people who are excited to learn about farming. The host farms also get employer training and support from the apprenticeship co-ordinator at Young Agrarians.”)
Can you afford an employee?
Financial planning and cash-flow projections are a critical part of deciding whether you can afford an employee, and at what wage. The Kitts’ farm is always expanding and growing, so for them an annual financial plan at the beginning of each year is a necessity. They make projections about their growth, and figuring out how many employees they can support is a part of that.
“We always build labour into the price of our products,” Donovan says. “If we have an employee, and they are getting paid X amount of dollars per month, what do we have to sell in order to make the numbers work?”
On a grain farm growth often comes via buying or renting more land, and with that comes the need for more hands to do the work. So, although the projections might be based on yields per acre and commodity prices rather than individual products, as for the Kitts, the planning is just as vital.
How much can you pay?
Deciding how much you can offer an employee in wages is always a balancing act between offering a sum that is attractive enough to entice good candidates, but that’s manageable for the farm’s financial situation.
There’s also a long list of potential costs to consider on top of the wage rate, such as the provincial rate of vacation pay, sick pay, employer payroll deductions for CPP and EI, the cost of hiring and training, and health and safety costs which could include Workers Compensation fees.
If you plan to hire workers from outside Canada there may also be immigration-related costs for things such as visas or work permits.
The other important factor, the Kitts found, is that they need adequate monthly cash-flow to allow them to pay the employee on schedule.
But it’s not always just about the wage. You might consider offering other forms of compensation such as free or low-cost accommodation, some meals, bonuses, profit shares, a few days at the family lakeside cabin each year, health benefits, or gas cards. Sometimes just being flexible to schedule around family commitments — such as having to drop a child at school or daycare — might be important to a new employee. Being willing to support their professional development by allowing them to attend courses or workshops can also be a reciprocal benefit for them and for the farm.
What other sources of money can you use for wages?
It is sometimes possible to access government grants and other programs to help pay a portion of an employee’s wages, although many of them are for short-term or seasonal, summer employment for students or youth. The Kitts have used programs such as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Program, and Eco Canada grants as well as Canada Summer Jobs to help subsidize some of their wage costs for workers over the years, but they caution that you still have to have the money available to cover the wages up front. These programs typically only reimburse you after the employment term is complete, and usually only for a percentage, not for the total wage cost.
What will they do?
What are the tasks you want them to do, and which do you need to do yourself?
Every farm may have its own answers but the Kitts learned an early lesson.
They now have a rule about the work they have to do themselves. “Anything that is customer facing,” Donovan says. “Not because our employees can’t do it, but we think it’s important for the customer to be able to talk to the farmer.”
It’s important anyone speaking for the farm always gets their facts right, Donovan says. Equally important, they have to convey the family’s sense of commitment, he adds. “We are super passionate about what we’re doing.”
For the Kitts, their staff typically handle the day-to-day jobs such as collecting and washing eggs, harvesting microgreens, packing, tending the market crops, feeding the cattle, cutting hay, etc.
And internal messaging is always important. The Kitts make sure they are clear about their business goals, thinking not only about the work the employee may be doing today but also in the future, especially if they might be taking on more responsibility as the farm grows.
Do you have the time?
Do you have the time to recruit, train, manage, schedule and assign tasks, do payroll and monitor and evaluate performance? How will it add to your workload? How will it ease it?
Keeping the bigger picture in mind when you think about your own time commitment is essential, says Donovan.
“It takes time to do all this but the investment is worth it because in the long run, you are going to be freed up to do other things,” he says. “As you grow and have more staff, they can take on some of the training role as well. We are fortunate to have some staff that have been with us three or four years, and for a lot of the day-to-day things, it’s not us showing new staff what to do, it’s staff showing staff.”
Can you delegate?
When you are used to doing everything yourself, it can be hard to let go and trust someone else to do the job. Have realistic expectations. You can’t expect a new employee to walk in and know everything their first day. You have to be patient and willing to accept that they will make mistakes, so your job is turn those into positive opportunities to learn and improve, not be critical or put them down.
The Kitts have learned that the key to being able to trust employees to do a good job is to make sure they understand the complete picture of how the farm functions, and the vital role they play in that.
“Even with a simple task, it’s important that we’re able to help them understand the bigger picture of what they’re doing,” Donovan says. “The job might seem dull or not important — something like weeding for example — but when we explain that if they don’t do this, it’s going to shade out other crops, then they can see how they are contributing to the overall well-being of the farm and improving the quality of the product.”
How do you prepare the farm for employees?
Any farm will need a bit of infrastructure set up such as a health and safety program, and a payroll system or service provider.
The Kitts constantly stress the importance of health and safety to their employees, whether they are new or experienced. They have a safety station where everyone knows they can find personal protection equipment and first aid supplies. Besides having regular sessions where they go over safety with equipment and procedures on the farm, they also emphasize the day to-day things it’s easy to forget, such as limiting sun exposure in hot weather, staying hydrated, taking breaks and not lifting heavy items without help.
They have always had Workers Compensation coverage for employees and volunteers on the farm and say these things help make them a more attractive employer to potential candidates.
“If somebody is working for you, to be a good employer you have to be invested in their safety,” Donovan says. “It’s not an insignificant cost, but it’s peace of mind for us and our employees so they know if something happens, they are covered.”
The value of communications
Don’t forget you’ll need to invest some real time in mapping out what, when and how you will need to communicate to your employee
It’s a different world when you have an employee instead of keeping it all in the family (probably more different than it should be, but that’s a different point).
When it’s just a couple of family members running the farm, they can likely say what they need to say when they grab their morning coffee. They don’t really need a plan since they pretty much know what needs to be done with what piece of equipment.
It can be a big step to suddenly have other people who aren’t familiar with the jobs and priorities, and seem to need constant guidance and attention.
Some farms use technology to make communications easier, installing apps on everyone’s cell phones to message each other, track locations, set up virtual meetings and create schedules. Others, if cell coverage isn’t as reliable, may provide two-way radios so everyone can stay in touch.
But low-tech solutions work too. The Kitts gave everyone a notebook this year so when they are out in the field and notice something needs doing or if they have a question, they can write it down for discussion later.
Each farm will have to discover what works best for them, but more important than the method is the understanding that taking the time and committing to good communications not only contributes to increased efficiency and productivity of the farm, but helps create a culture of collaboration where everyone feels included and valued as a member of the team.
The Kitts may have more opportunities than many employers to communicate with their employees because their employees often live on the farm and eat most of their meals with the family, but they always start out the day with a kick-off meeting to talk about what needs to be done.
Sometimes, though, they need a one-on-one and there’s nothing like a trip to town for parts to provide the opportunity.
“We don’t have a formal evaluation process, but when we’re driving somewhere it’s good one-on-one time to ask how things are going,” Donovan says. “We don’t have formal check-ins, but they are absolutely important and so we do them, just not on a set schedule.”
Who do you choose?
Choosing the right person is probably the hardest part of hiring an employee. Ideally, they will have similar values, understand and share your vision. They will be honest, trustworthy, flexible and self-motivated. Plus, they will have a personality that fits your farm and work culture.
If they are a serious contender, bring them out to the farm, say the Kitts. Cover their travel expenses and let them get a feel for the work for a few hours, so no one has any illusions about what it will be like to work together.
“We’ve had a couple of people that came out and on paper everything looked good, but when they came to the farm there were some serious red flags,” Donovan says. “The farm wasn’t how they thought it would be, and for us, we didn’t see them as a good fit. It’s important to find that out right away.”
The Kitts have learned that it’s always possible to teach someone a job or new skills, but making sure they have the right personality and attitude to fit into the farm’s overall culture is more important.
“Our ideal employee is somebody who wants to be doing exactly what we’re doing and who shares our passion for producing clean, healthy, nutritious food,” Donovan says. “It’s someone who is not just here to make money but to gain experience and maybe start a farm of their own someday.”
How do we set expectations and boundaries?
Especially in the Kitts’ case, because everyone works and lives on the farm, they have found that it’s vital to set boundaries, but any farm can benefit from everyone knowing when the farm house — and the family — are off limits.
“Everybody has their own breakfast routine and they know they don’t come to the house before 8:30 a.m.” Donovan says. “Once we have had supper together, everyone has their own time, and Sundays are a day off for everyone, and our own family time, so the house is off limits. Setting clear boundaries is beneficial for everyone.”
Expectations need to be clear too because, as the Kitts have found, most of their employees come from an urban background, and don’t know a lot about farming and what that means from a work perspective.
“Their working hours may be 8:30 to 5:30, but the thing about people that are interested in farming is that you’re going to learn a lot before 8:30 and after 5:30 because that’s when the unexpected happens,” Donovan says. “It might be a Sunday, which is their day off, but we have to get the hay baled up because it’s going to rain on Monday, so they can have Monday off instead. We tell them that this is farming, and we need your help when we need it.”
Tips for conducting an interview
This isn’t just about you. It’s about you and the potential employee, and it’s vital that you use this opportunity to learn about each other.
Skills can be taught but whether someone is going to be a fit for the farm and vice versa depends on personality and attitude more than on specific skill sets or work experiences.
That said, in today’s world there are some questions that an employer cannot legally ask an employee and it’s good to know what they are.
Some of these tips for interviewing have been adapted from the Young Agrarians online course: How to Hire Farm Workers, with thanks. You can find the course at youngagrarians.org.
You cannot discriminate on race, religious beliefs, colour, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, physical disability, mental disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, political beliefs, or political association or activity.
What does that mean? You cannot ask any direct question that would prompt an interviewee to disclose any information on the above list. For example, you cannot ask ‘How old are you?’ ‘Are you married?’ ‘Do you have children?’ ‘Do you go to church on Sunday?’
Also, you cannot ask an indirect question in reference to the “do-not-ask” list, such as “What do you do on Sundays?”
Plus, be sure to disclose to the interviewee any information about your values or strong beliefs that would be important for someone who is working with you to know, and that might affect their comfort or well-being. It is in your best interests to establish transparency.
Talk about boundaries (since your workplace is also your home).
Also be clear about your expectations.
It’s fine to talk about your goals for the farm but be honest about how the farm is today.
Talk, too, about the culture of your farm. Before you interview, decide on the top three words you would use to describe your farm and work culture.
Also be alert to pronouns. Don’t assume how someone wishes to be addressed. When you introduce yourself, say what your pronouns are. Be cognizant about creating an inviting space for an applicant to disclose their pronouns or feel safe to correct you if you use the wrong one. You cannot directly ask what their pronouns are in an interview to avoid discrimination but you can give them an option on their application form to disclose that information if they wish to.
Allow them to talk about their strengths and weaknesses.
Consider a working interview. Invite them to the farm for a day ― pay their travel costs. At the very least make sure you interview in person at the farm if possible.
And remember, you’re in charge. You can re-post. Take your time. Hire the right person.
Interviewing: the better way
There are many resources available to offer advice and some practical tips about the hiring process, from writing a job advertisement, job description and employment contract to how to conduct interviews and do performance reviews etc.
The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) offers an online AgriHR Toolkit that was developed with input from producers across Canada. It provides guides, templates, resources and questions that producers need to ask and answer about their business. The tools can be downloaded and customized to suit any type of farm. The toolkit can be found at the CAHRC website.
Young Agrarians have an online course: How to Hire Farm Workers, that can be found on its website.
