Hired Labor Availability Changes For Farms UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.) Pennsylvania farmers are having a harder time finding hired labor, according to a survey con ducted by Dr. Jill Findeis, associ ate professor of agricultural eco nomics in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. To assess hired farm labor availability in Pennsylvania and to determine the strategies farmers use to keep laborers, Findeis and project associate Timothy Bowser asked 484 farm households about the amounts of time the principal farm operator, spouse, children and other relatives spent doing on farm work by season. The researchers also asked about the use and perceived avail ability of different types of farm labor, the wages and perks given to hired farm labor, the needs for additional hired labor, and strate gies used to retain workers. According to the results, Penn sylvania farmers believe that hired labor has become less available in the past five years. “When asked about the availability of farm la bor in their area compared to five e NIK. IT DOES A BODY GOOD.' MIDDLE ATLANTIC MILK MARKETING ASSOCIATION, INC Public Auction Register Closing Date Monday 5:00 P.M. of each week’s publication DECEMBER SAT. DEC. 12 - 9AM, Anti ques, Furniture, Glass ware, Collectables, Guns, Coins & Household*Goods. Estate Of J. Evans Wiker ET Al. Barr & Davis, Aucts. SAT. DEC. 12-9 AM, Spe cial Consignment Of Old Oriental Rugs From Md. Estate. Located At Rud nick's Sales, Routs 213, Galena, Md. Harry Rudnick & Sons, Inc., Sales Mana ger, Aucts., Real Estate Broker. ATTENTION VEGETABLE GROWERS We Specialize In Vegetable Growing Supplies And Equipment SPECIALS ON GREENHOUSE SOILS Coll For Prices On Pro-Mix, Sunshine Mix, Peat Moss and Germinating Mix. • Raised and Flatbed • Agryl Pl 7 Floating Layers Row Cover • Mulch Planters • Greenhouse Supplies • Mulch Lifters • Plastic Mulch • Aluminum Conveyors • Drip Irrigation • Packing Lines • Plastic Harvesting • Honda-Powered Pumps Containers • Zon LP Gas Cannon 7 J Wkem flat bed / MULCH LAYER • 3 pi. or Pull-Type • or • Easily ■—■ DECEMBER SALE ON EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES 10% DISCOUNT OFF LIST PRICE ON ALL EQUIPMENT Ask For Dec. Sale Price Sheet! NOLTS PRODUCE SUPPLIES 152 N. Herahay Ava. • Laola, Pannaylvanla 17540 (717) 696-9764 years ago, 62 percent believed la bor was less available in 1991, while 31 percent saw no change and 7 percent perceived an in crease,” Findeis said. When asked about the availa bility of local labor, many farmers said that jobs outside farming were attracting students and others that they had previously relied upon for summer woik. “Some farmers believed they were unable to compete with nonfarm jobs in terms of providing comparable wages and benefits,” Findeis said. “Others felt that these jobs did not necessarily pay more per hour, but that fewer work hours per day or per week were more attractive than farming hours.” The survey also indicated that few Pennsylvania farmers adopted practices designed to attract and retain labor other than being kind, friendly, and considerate to their workers. “Farmers who must hire workers will need to find other methods for meeting the workers’ needs, if not in the short run dur ing the recession, then in the long run,” Findeis said. SAT. DEC. 12 -10 AM, Large Cat Attachment & Late Model Cat Equipment Auction Located 15 Miles East Of Harrisburg, Just Off InterstateJßl (Exit 28). Pro ceed North On Rt. 743, Fol low The Signs To The Sale Site. Alex Lyon & Son, Sales Manager & Aucts. WED. DEC. 16 - 3 30PM Brad Smith Auction Co Antiques. Selling the Anna Marie Malone Estate 5 miles South of Red Lion along Rt. #74, just before the Brogue, York Co, PA. Signs pasted. Bradley K. & As nonfarm opportunities in crease, farmers will need to pro vide potential farm workers with competitive salaries, benefits, and hours. “Some farmers will be un able to match conditions in the nonfarm sector,” Findeis said, “but those who do will find the la bor they need.” The survey also showed that Pennsylvania fanners found full time labor particularly difficult to hire, but many farm families also had difficulty hiring seasonal and year-round part-time labor. “Some farmers said they would hire more workers if they were available at an affordable price in their area,” Findeis said. “Interest ingly, although farmers thought full-time labor had become parti cularly more difficult to hire, more farms reported needing additional seasonal and part-time labor, of the more than 450 responding farms, 85 reported wanting to hire more seasonal farm labor and 65 reported needing more year-round part-time workers. Only 26 farms wanted to hire more full-time la bor.” From the viewpoint of Pennsyl vania farmers, said Findeis, sever al- trends arc important for the fu ture. “It’s likely that the trend to ward fewer part-time workers will continue. TTie hired farm work- Patricia L. Smith, aucts WED. DEC. 16-6 PM, Over 150 Winross Trucks. Located At Klemfelter's Auction Room, 105 Chapel St., Lebanon. Pa. 17042, Between 7th & Bth Sts Off Willow St. Clayton, David & Ralph Kleinfelter, Aucts. SAT. DEC. 19 - 9AM, Auto Mechanics Auction. Located Indoors On Site At The Intersection Of North & Eichelberger Streets In The Boro of Hanover, Pa. Earl & Bill Motor Company, Inc Randy L Hilker, Auct. SAT. DEC 19 -10 AM Landscape, construction equip, dump truck & truck tractor auction Use Rt 78 to Clinton, proceed on Rt 31 South, 6 miles to the Flemington Fairgrounds, PUBLIC AUCTION OVER 150 WINROSS TRUCKS WEDNESDAY EVE. DEC. 16TH AT 6:00 P.M. At Klelnfelter’s Auction Room, 105 Chapel St. Lebanon, PA 17042. Located between 7th & Bth Sts. off Willow St. Here’s A Partial Listing - Pie - Arasmith - Yellow Freight - Preston All Dbl., Singles - You’ve Got Frien in PA “Blue" - Try Me In Milk Hershey - Rohrer Seeds - Leffter “Plister Pak” - Ist Hirsh w/Flowers Middle ton - Met. Ed Line Truck - Mack Trucks - Pie - Allied Van Lines - Rutter’s Dairy - Sico Tanker - Red Star Express - Coca- Cola - Carolina - 7-up - Reeses Cups “Amer. Flag" - 88’ Hatfield Meats - Keebler Elves - Clyde Weaver “Chrome tank" - Penn State 86 Ford - Penn State Mack - 88 Election Dem. & Rep. - Copes Corn - Tay nton’s - Keller Bros. “Red-Blue-Yellow" - Hershey AACA Meats - Roadway - Pen nfield - Hershey Cocoa - M&R Grain “Soy bean" - Rough & Tumble - Rajah Temple - Rajah Ertl - Bell Ertl - Penn State Ertl - Tonka Bell tel. - 4-Hess Trucks (2-First) - etc. Plus Lots of unlisted trucks! Preview of Trucks: Wed. Dec. 16th 8:00 - 12:00 noon & 1:00 p.m. til sale time. Clayton, David & Ralph Kleinfelter Auctioneers 717-272-7078 Lie. #RH-000029-L approx 35 minutes from Newark Alex Lyon & Son, aucts SAT. DEC 19 -10 AM, Montour County Farm Auc tion Of Farm Machinery & Livestock. Located 7 Mi North Of Danville & 1 Mi South Of Washmgtonville Off Rt 54 Just 4 Mi. North Of Interstate 80, Exit 33 Off Rt. 54. Owner, Allen H. Schafer Bryan D Imes, Auct. SAT. DEC 19 - 10 45AM, 31 Banks & Lending Institu tions Offer Approx. 175 Repossessed And Lease Vehicles. Located At Key stone Public Auto Exchange, Rt. 22/322 Between Dauphin & Clarks Ferry Bridge Local Banks Kerry Pae, Auct. OF Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 12, 1992-A3S force will have an increasingly greater proportion of full-time workers. “Second, mid-size farms may have the most difficulty attracting and retaining farm workers now and in the future,” she said. “Small and large farms pay higher wages on average and are more likely to attract hired labor than mid-size farms.” “Smaller farms - those with less than $40,000 in annual sales - hir ed fewer workers, especially full- SCRANTON (Lackawanna Co.) Keith Eckel, Lacka wanna County vegetable and grain farmer and president of the Pennsylvania Farmers Association, received the “Friend of Extension” Award from Epsilon Sigma Phi, the national extension honorary fraternity, at the annual meet ing of the Alpha Omlcron Chapter and was the “center piece” speaker at the All College Conference of the College of Agriculture at Penn State University. Shown with Eckel, left, is Tom Jurchak, Lackawanna County extension agent, center, J. Lee Miller, Beaver County extension director, right. ML B&M FISHER S painting & RESTORATION ■ ALL TYPES 0F INTERIOR & EXTERIOR *VJ up i PAINTING ■ SANDBLASTING ■ ROOF COATING ■ RESTORATION & WATERPROOFING ON STONE & BRICK BUILDINGS HOUSES - BARNS - FENCES - FACTORIES - ETC. Specialists In Sand Blasting/Spray Painting Farm J Buildings, Feed Mills, Roofs, Tanks, Etc. With Aerial Equipment \ 4056 A Newport Rd., Kinzers, PA 17535 717-768-3239 On Rt. 772 Across From Pequea Valley School 'Brush, fRpU Or Spray - ‘We'll <Do It 'Either 'Way v Tor Jobs Large Or Small ■ Our Men Will 'Do It Ml > GENERATORS SPECIALIZING IN COMPLETE AUTO START STANDBY POWER SYSTEMS For Sales and Sendee Call The Manufacturer MARTIN ELECTRIC PLANTS 280 Pleasant Valley Rd., Ephrata, PA 17522*8620 Tel: 717-733-7968 Fax: 717-733-1981 time labor,” Findcis said. “Only 20 percent of small farms in Penn sylvania hired labor. “About 60 percent of the large farms - those with more than $lOO,OOO in sales - hired some la bor. Only 10 percent of mid-sized farms hired full-time labor com pared to 30.1 precenl of larger farms. Larger farms also were more likely to hire seasonal labor than mid-size farms - 23 percent of large farms compared to 15 per cent of mid-size farms.” DIESEL L.P. GAS P.T.O. NEW & USED
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