For large periods of American history, the number one occupation in the country was farmer. Of course, the transition to an industrial country has changed this, but the U.S. has managed to stick to its agricultural past fairly well. Unfortunately, the Northeast is slowly losing people who once worked on farms, which may make it difficult for prospective farmers to attract laborers.
According to Farm and Dairy Magazine, there were around 36,000 workers in Northeast U.S. farms during the month of October. This is 1,000 individuals down from the year before. What's more, the average weekly hours worked has dipped from 41.9 hours to 39. A combination of the economic conditions throughout the country and the transforming American working landscape has put farm employees at a disadvantage.
As a result, people applying for farm land loans need to be sure that their business plans and loan applications provide provisions for how best to staff their agricultural operations. Make sure to be familiar with the websites and organizations that are effective at finding workers for various farm jobs, such as Farm Job Search or Agri-Management.com.
