Labor Day 2018: Farmers understand work

People with a rural background have to wonder if the spring and summer holidays seemed to be ones they seem to get the short end of the holiday schedules.

Why? Memorial Day was often spent planting crops and moving cattle around. July 4, if you grew up in the High Plains, meant wheat harvest or quickly getting to tillage work. Labor Day, well, that meant cutting high moisture corn and planting wheat.

Many a farm kid lamented working those holidays while their friends went to the lake. In hindsight, I think it all worked out for a reason and as nearly all looked fondly upon those days. It drove home principles of work ethic and hard work.

Today’s farmers and ranchers have benefited from the changes in technology. Larger pieces of equipment and reduced tillage have changed the Memorial Day to Labor Day work cycle. Still, there is planting done on Memorial Day, wheat harvest on July 4 and cutting moisture corn and planting wheat on Labor Day. Yet, those operations are accomplished much faster and more precisely than 40 or even 20 years ago. Most ag operators have significantly increased the number of acres they work and that has mean more technology to accomplish the tasks.

The pace of mechanization continues at an accelerated pace. What a successful farmer and rancher has to do is accomplish more work with less help on the farm. That means fewer workers. The balancing act will continue and successful farmers and ranchers have learned how to be good stewards of their labor force.

Many producers have learned to treat their farm workers and hired men and women with great respect. One farmer told me that every other farmer is looking for employees with work ethic and technical skills and “if you have one you best be taking care of him or he’ll be working for your neighbor in short order.”

That revelation comes as no surprise to those of us who have been involved in non-agricultural fields. If a producer thinks he is on an island he will get a rude awakening.

Farm managers who offer competitive wage and benefits, including health insurance and retirement plans, are likely to develop a loyal work force. That includes an appreciation for those who toil for them.

Learning all those skills are not easy and they were never easy because human resources is a department few master. Yet there are many ways to learn from Extension and farm organizations. Most of all the key is to be a good listener.

While many producers may take part of the day to celebrate Labor Day with their family, hopefully it will be a day to appreciate their own labor and those who make it all work for them.