Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development is conducting a 2020 Farm Employee Compensation Benchmark survey of all agricultural commodities to help farmers evaluate and offer competitive compensation packages to maintain high-quality employee teams. Participants will receive aggregate and anonymous reports customized by farm type (dairy, fruit, vegetable, greenhouse, etc.) and be invited to a webinar discussion of the findings.

As we settle into the new year, many of us are looking ahead to what this year may bring. Although 2020 proved to us that the unexpected is very possible, I thought we would share our predictions for what will be the top three workforce trends in 2021.

Today’s consumer is increasingly aware and concerned about how the workers who produce the products they buy are treated. They want to know that farm owners and managers treat employees in a socially responsible way.

Within the dairy and livestock industry, we spend the majority of our time focused on animal comfort and care. We know this is extremely important; we also know that it is vital to the success of our operations and is highly valued by consumers. But let me ask you this: How much emphasis are we placing on our employees and their comfort and care? Do consumers care? Is it something we should place at a higher level on our management radar?