Human resource strategies for transfers and start-ups

By Suzanne Deutsch

Finding good reliable people to work on a farm operation is challenging at the best of times. If you are in the process of starting up, winding down or transferring your operation however, the problem easily can multiply exponentially. While there are no miracle solutions, Martine Deschamps, who specialises in HR questions and farm transfers in Chateauguay, Que., offers a few ideas that can help mediate the problem.

Traditionally in agriculture, as in many family-owned and operated businesses, it has been customary for family members to help out with chores or perform certain duties such as accounting, to keep costs down. According to a 2009 study on Women in agriculture conducted by Quebec’s Ministère de l’Agriculture, Pêcheries et Alimentation (Mapaq), only 39 per cent of women working on a family farm officially appear on a farm’s payroll.

As the exiting generation starts to reduce their workload, the next generation is finding huge gaps between renumerated and non-renumerated tasks. No one really realised just how many hours Mom spent answering calls, dealing with suppliers, filing paperwork and paying bills until they have to do it themselves and have to factor these costs into their budget.

For the new generation taking over the farm, who cannot count on their parents because they are no longer capable or willing to continue doing the work they did, this has financial implications as well. It means having to find someone else to do the job and factoring in those new HR costs in the operations budget.

Find the ideal candidate
The process can be daunting. Unless you are proactive, there is little chance someone will show up at your door, and offer their services. Deschamps suggests getting in touch with schools that offer specialised agriculture programs and ask to meet with students, perhaps give a lecture.  The payback from talking positively about agriculture might be greater than you think.

Hiring foreign workers for seasonal work is an option that has worked well for some operations. Local employment centers and non-profit organisations such as F.A.R.M.S. in Ontario and F.E.R.M.E. in Quebec are there to assist with all aspects of labour laws and recruiting.

In several provinces, farmers in need of part-time or occasional help have successfully set up co-ops to solve their labour needs in a timely and affordable fashion. Farmers living in the Montmagny or l’Islet, Que. set up a worker co-op program to share three full-time employees. Workers receive competitive wages and enjoy the fact the tasks vary from one farm to another and the farmers like that they can access farm hands when needed without having to shoulder the cost of a full-time employee.

Free labour?
It’s not often you hear of people doing farm work on a volunteer basis but some people just love doing it, says Deschamps. A computer programmer in her area helps out on three different farms, without asking for anything in return. She’s helped pick up rocks, feed animals and repair tubing in a maple grove and sometimes will even negotiate some time off with her employer to make sure she’s available to do her volunteer work. She finds the work rewarding and has created a new network of friends.

“It’s a concept that is foreign to farmers but some people are bored and don’t know what to do with their spare time,” she chuckles. “You can make someone’s day or week by allowing them to share your load.”