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Finding and retaining good employees is a challenge
The annual meeting of the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska featured a panel discussion on the ag workforce shortage and housing issues. Panelists were (l-r) Liz Babcock with Adams Land and Cattle, Gary Person from the North Platte Chamber of Commerce, and Bill Thiele of TLS Dairy.
Finding and retaining good employees continues to be a big challenge for many rural-based agribusinesses.
Kristen Hassebrook is with the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN).
“The number one thing that we hear about as sort of the immediate challenge for the ag producers, as well as ag business and any business in communities across Nebraska, is finding and keeping good employees,” Hassebrook says.
Liz Babcock is with Adams Land and Cattle of Broken Bow, the largest cattle feeding operation in Nebraska. Adams has 160 employees and Babcock finding good housing for employees is one of the issues they’ve faced.
“It’s not as short as it was five years ago,” Babcock says. “Broken Bow has been working hard and we have new apartment complexes, and a few new homes that were just built.”
Babcock says many of their new employees are millennials.
“The thing you see with the new generation is they want the up-to-date home or apartment. So it’s just making sure that we are meeting the needs of what our labor pool is.”
Broken Brow is a community of 3,500 people in central Nebraska.
Babcock was part of a panel discussion on ag workforce and housing issues at the annual meeting of A-FAN and We Support Agriculture in Lincoln.
AUDIO: Kristen Hassebrook
AUDIO: Liz Babcock
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