A2B-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 21,2002
Penn State Cooperative Extension
Capitol Region Dairy Team
FARM LABOR
OPPORTUNITIES
Philip E. Wagner
Extension Agent Dairy
Franklin County
Several weeks ago I wrote a
column article on labor manage
ment. The purpose of this follow
up article is to suggest ways of
making hired and family labor a
more profitable investment in
your farm business.
As the total traditional farm
labor force continues to decrease,
farm owners must develop more
effective means of attracting and
retaining agricultural employees.
Solutions to most labor chal
lenges require both economic and
social adjustments. Suggested
economic changes may require
increased wages for labor, but
equally effective social adjust
ments may not cost a dime.
Farmers must be willing and
able to pay wages on a par with
those of local industries, and not
just the minimum industrial
wage or those offered by other
farmers. Farmers must develop
highly efficient, profitable opera
tions that can afford to pay in
dustrial wages to their workers.
Why not provide prospective
and regular employees with an
itemized statement of wages and
cash deductions for fringe bene
fits, housing and utility values,
and othei noncash benefits? Then
encourage employees to compare
your wage package with the com
petition. Farmers must give their
employees a wage package com-
Editor's note: This is a month
ly column from the Pennsylvania
Ay Statistics Service (PASS), a
field office of USDA's National
Agricultural Statistics ‘service
(NASS) in cooperation with the
Pennsylvania Department of Ag
riculture (PDA) The Website is
www.usda.govlnassl
\(i (1 NSLIS LNDFK WAY!
The Ag Census has been
mailed lo more than 91,000 ad
dresses of potential gi oners
acioss Pennsylvania and to more
than 2.‘ ; million addresses na
tionwide. Being a true "census,"
this pioject is onh done once
every hvt \eais.
You only have to produce
$l,OOO worth ol agricultural
products or keep only a few head
of livestock or equine to count as
a farm lor Census purposes. This
includes small, part-time, and
hobby farms.
It is very important that Penn
sylvania agriculture is properly
measured by the 2002 U.S. Cen
sus of Agriculture. In the past,
other states have had a more'
complete count and this can im
pact decisions about agriculture
Philip E. Wagner
petitive with industry. Remember
that it's the spendable income left
after food, shelter, and job deduc
tions are made that is important
to your worker.
If you’re competitive here, you
don’t need to meet exactly indus
tries' gross wage rate. You must,
however, offer extra cash or other
benefits to offset the value of ad
ditional fringe benefits provided
by your competitors.
What about a cash bonus or
other incentive plan for employ
ees? Opinions are divided on
these plans. Manageis have tried
them with both good and bad re
sults. Farmers should be dw'are
NASS
Agriculture Counts
By Marc Tosiano
Pa. State Statistician
in Pennsylvania and across the
Northeast.
‘lint I'm Not Farming'
You may not consider yourself
to be a “farmer,” but remember
that agriculture goes beyond
dairy, livestock, and field ciops.
It includes other items such as
greenhouse and nursery, fruits,
vegetables, aquaculture, bees,
Chnstmas trees, maple s> rup, lla
mas, bison, mink, deer, game
birds, worms, etc.
If you think that you do not
qualify as an agricultural opera
tion. please call the toll-free num
bei on the census form to ask if
you should be counted.
‘But I’m Retired’
You may also considei yourself
“retired” from farming. How
ever. it is typical that retired
farmers still produce agricultural
products, but on a smaller scale
than before. It could easily ex
ceed $l,OOO of products that were
sold or could have been sold
which still qualifies you as a
farm.
‘But 1 Have Too Many Forms’
In Pennsylvania, more than
91,000 forms will be mailed in an
effort to account for about 60,000
JANUARY II
JANUARY 25
lAN I JAR'i 25
FEBRUARY 7-9 PENNSYLVANIA JUNIOR HOLSTEIN CONVENT lON
HOLIDAY INN, BETHLEHEM, PA
FEBRUARY 19-21 PENNSYLVANIA HOLSTEIN CONVENTION
HOLIDAY INN, BETHLEHEM. PA
FEBRUARY 20
FEBRUARY 20
MARCH 17
MARCH 28
that a satisfactory plan is going
to cost them moie than ordinary
wages, but it us justified by an
even greater increase in income.
If incentive plans are new to
you. discuss them with a farm
management specialist or with a
farmer who has a satisfactory
plan in operation. Then decide if
they will help your business. The
additional returns, above the
costs of a bonus plan, should ex
ceed the net returns you would
get from any alternative use of
these same resources.
The job a worker accepts is de
termined by many things other
than the cash value of his job
package. The number of work
hours during the week, whether
the employee has time to himself
(including a regular vacation
plan), and other factors are con
sidered by prospective employees.
farms. We spent a lot of time to
reduce the initial mailing list of
potential farm from more than
120.000 names to more than
91.000 by removing as many du
plicate names as we could find.
However, some of you will still
get more than one Census form
for the same operation. The front
page of the census form gives in
structions on how to deal with
multiple forms for the same oper
ation. Briefly, you will be asked
to complete one form and return
it along with the other duplicate
forms.
I Didn't Get A Census Form
If you are involved with agri
culture and do not receive a cen
sus by Januaiv 1, 2003, please
call (888) 424-7828 to be sure you
are counted. It's important for
Pennsvl'ania that we count eveiy
farm ol every size.
Do I Hme To Send It Back?
Everyone who receives an Ag
Census form needs to complete it
and send it back by Feb. 3 to
avoid further mailings. If you are
not farming, please complete it
and send it back or you will get
additional mailings as well.
Since the Ag Census is re
quired by law, we are required to
contact you in person or more
than the phone if we don’t get
your completed form by mail. I
know your time is valuable and
we really don’t want to bather
you at home. So, please complete
and send the form back in a time
ly fashion.
2003 PENNSYLVANIA HOLSTEIN ASSOCIATION
CALENDAR OE EVENTS
11 00A M DAUPHIN COUNTY ANNUAL MEETING
GEO S FAMILY RESTAURANT. HARRISBURG PA
11 50A M BRADFORD COUN TY ANNUAL. MEL I ING
TROY FIRE HALL. TROY PA
7 30P M CLARION/VENANGO ANNUAL MELTING
WOI F’S DF.N RESTAURANT, KNOX, PA
90 1 " ANNUAL MEETING, PA HOLSTLIN ASSOCIATION
HOLIDAY INN, BETHLEHEM. PA
7 OOP M. PA HOLSTEIN CONVENTION SALE
HOLIDAY INN, BETHLEHEM, PA
7 15PM BLAIR COUNTY ANNUAL MEETING
WILLIAMSBURG FARM SHOW GROUNDS, WILLIAMSBURG, PA
9 30A.M PA HOLSTEIN SPRING SHOW
FARM SHOW BUILDING. HARRISBURG, PA
Pleasant physical working condi
tions, modern equipment to work
with, and satisfactory relations
with other employees and man
agement are all plus factors. Job
security is extremely important.
Important as money is, non
cash social considerations involv
ing the job and the surrounding
community may finally de
termine which job a worker will
select. Farm managers who have
minimized their labor problems
recognize that the social climate
in which their employees and
families live and work is equally,
if not more, important than the
wages paid.
Employers don’t always realize
the skills they expect from their
employees. Farmers sometimes
hire unskilled workers and expect
immediate skilled performance
without providing any training
Why Do A Census?
It is important the we provide
the facts about agriculture for
each county and across Pennsyl
vania so that rumors don’t influ
ence important decisions that af
fect growers.
Extension depends on county
statistics from the Census for the
delivery of services to growers of
all sizes. They also rely on census
data to support their research for
the benefit of growers.
New growers, or those chang
ing farm activities, can learn
about agricultural production in
their county to help decide what
crops or livestock to raise.
Grower associations and the
Pennsylvania Department of Ag
riculture use this information to
define and promote Pennsylvania
agriculture. L enders need this in
formation to make tactual deci
sions about loans to growers.
Suppliers and buyers use agricul
tural statistics to know where
there is a need for their services
or where to buy.
Ag statistics were important to
the development and implemen
tation of crop insurance and the
2002 Farm Bill to provide finan
cial assistance to growers who
choose to use these programs.
Finally, the Ag Census pro
vides much county data that is
only available once every five
years. For some items in the Ag
Census, this is the only time that
farm demographics and minor
commodities are measured such
as goats, bison, llamas, many veg
etables, nuts, some berries, pheas
ants, etc.
program. If you’re going to hire
untrained help, make sure they
are properly instructed and ade
quately supervised during the
training period. Don’t expect sat
isfactory performance without
training.
While agriculture must com
pete with industry for its labor
supply, not all of this competition
is economic. Fringe benefits,
many of them socially oriented,
must be equally attractive. When
asked the secret of his successful
labor management program, one
Pennsylvania farmer said of his
workers, “I give them good tools
to work with. I show them what
to do. I show them what we want
to accomplish. I make sure we all
have a good time doing it."
Farm owners must realize that
good labor management requires
social and economic adjustments.
Why Do I Get
Other Suneys, l oo?
All of the largest farms and a
few smaller operations will get
sampled surveys in addition to
the Ag Census. These generate
state and national statistics of ag
ricultural production for 2002. It
is reasonable for you to ask,
“Why should I do both?”
First, these usual year-end sur
veys lead to published reports in
January through April 2003. The
Ag Census contacts so many peo
ple that it takes a little more than
a year before the Census can be
properly processed and published
in early 2004. Agriculture can’t
wait that long for 2002 statistics.
Second, this gives you more
time to fill out the Ag Census
form. The Census form is longer
and contains questions about all
agriculture on your operation.
The year-end surveys are typical
ly only one or two pages that deal
only with one commodity or a
group of related commodities.
The end ol year surveys hap
pening now through March in
clude cattle, sheep, floriculture,
bee and honey, and the quarterly
Farm Labor survey.
Thank You
Remember, “Agriculture
Counts” and we are counting on
your response for an accurate
Census. When you get the Ag
Census form, please fill it out and
return it right away to avoid ad
ditional taxpayer cost of further
mailings.
Thank You!