UW-Extension Study Shows Who's Being Hired to Work on Wisconsin Farms
Monday, February 24th, 2014 -- 11:04 AM
(Wisconsin Ag Connection) -A study conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Extension Farm and Risk Management Team shows a clearer picture of who's being hired to work on Wisconsin farm operation these days and what opportunities and challenges are arising between managers and their employees.According to the Wisconsin Ag Connection, the report states that more than 76,400 people are employed directly by Wisconsin farms; and those workers have varied backgrounds, skills, education and experiences.
It showed that even though hiring outside labor is becoming more commonplace on Wisconsin farms, few actually implement basic human resource management practices, typical of most industries. Farm managers said communication barriers was their biggest challenge in terms of human resource management. Hiring and recruiting employees, training, and dealing with conflicts were other challenges that ranked high with farm employers.
For compensation, the survey indicated that farm employers take many factors into consideration when determining an employee's wages. They include the type of position on the farm, whether the position requires experience or inexperience, and the region of the state. For both the inexperienced and experienced workers, the highest paid job on the farm is herdsman at $11.42 and $14.31 per hour, respectively.
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