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.
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• Mulch Lifters • Plastic Mulch
• Aluminum Conveyors • Drip Irrigation
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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.
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■ SANDBLASTING ■ ROOF COATING
■ RESTORATION & WATERPROOFING ON STONE &
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Specialists In Sand Blasting/Spray Painting Farm J
Buildings, Feed Mills, Roofs, Tanks, Etc. With Aerial
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4056 A Newport Rd., Kinzers, PA 17535 717-768-3239
On Rt. 772 Across From Pequea Valley School
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>
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For Sales and Sendee Call The Manufacturer
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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.”
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