Editors' Notebook

How hard is it to find good farm labor these days? According to a recent DTN/Progressive Farmer poll, it's very hard. Of the 76 ag employers who responded to our informal, online survey, 79% said hiring workers was "somewhat difficult" or "very difficult." Only about 8% found it "somewhat" or "very easy." The remaining respondents said it "depends on the season or specific job."

Though a small sample, it lines up with what we're hearing in interviews and seeing in national trends. Whether it's row-crop or livestock operations in the Midwest, dairies in the Northeast or fruit and vegetable farms out West, the story is the same: There aren't enough people willing -- or able -- to do the work.

In the coming weeks, DTN/Progressive Farmer will explore what's driving the worker shortage and share strategies some producers are using to adapt. We're calling the initiative "Navigating Ag's Labor Crisis." As part of our coverage, we will be posting stories from our summer issue of Progressive Farmer, "Labor Pains," along with bonus content related to the series. Also, watch DTN for a special landing page that will include links to all the Labor Pains stories as well as up-to-date news stories related to ag labor issues.

HOW BAD IS THE LABOR CRISIS?

The scope of the ag labor shortage is hard to fully capture. Federal agencies track employment numbers, but no single data set paints a complete picture. One expert trying to change that is Zachariah Rutledge, an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics at Michigan State University. Over the past five years, he's surveyed around 2,500 farmers, and about half said they couldn't hire all the workers they needed. On average, those farms were running about 20% short on labor.

While many of his responses came from California, home to a high number of labor-intensive fruit and vegetable farms, Rutledge said labor shortages appear across all types of crop-production operations.

Another indicator is the growth of the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers Program, which allows foreign workers to fill seasonal farm jobs when U.S. workers aren't available. Samantha Ayoub, associate economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, noted that certified H-2A positions have jumped from under 100,000 in 2013 to nearly 400,000 today. Employers must first attempt to hire U.S. workers, but Ayoub said fewer than 3% of H-2A job postings result in domestic applications.

For growers like John Boelts, president of the Arizona Farm Bureau, who spoke with DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton, the situation is clear: "American agriculture is withering on the vine due to a lack of workers."

WHAT'S BEHIND THE SHORTAGE?

Several overlapping factors are to blame.

-- The U.S. labor participation rate has not rebounded to pre-COVID levels, Ayoub said.

-- The nation's workforce is aging. By 2026, nearly a quarter of workers will be over 55, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

-- Fewer young people are entering ag careers.

-- Long hours, tough work and rural isolation deter applicants.

-- Immigration policies create uncertainty for employers and workers alike. Programs like H-2A are essential, but they're also complex, expensive and slow.

SEARCHING FOR SOLUTIONS

Despite all of this, there are success stories. In our upcoming coverage, we'll show you how producers are getting creative -- offering better benefits and more flexibility, focusing on workplace culture, training workers from other industries and making the most of the employees they do have. We'll also look at how some are using mentorship programs to bring new people into ag and explore the role technology might play in easing the load.

Agriculture's labor pains won't vanish overnight. We hope the advice and insights in our coverage of this critical issue over the next weeks will help ease some of that pain.

Anthony Greder can be reached at anthony.greder@dtn.com

Follow him on social platform X @AGrederDTN

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