We know what it is like to find good staff. We know how hard it is to find managers, and we know how easy it is for a $250k header front to get written off.
Broadacre Contracting can help you, but our approach is not a standard agricultural labour hire agency, and the cost from our end is more desirable for you.
The problem is that most agencies are just employment agents. They deal in volume, they get the details from you, they launch an ad, they get interested parties and present those parties.
You then choose what is in front of you, and that is a problem.
What is in front of you, you have asked for them.
Now you are probably going, how is this a problem?
I will come back to what is the difference between you wanting them and them wanting you.
Now we are writing an article here to explain why businesses in agriculture struggle to get good team members, find quality managers, and then we are going to explain how Broadacre Contracting can help.
This is no quick fix in general, but there are definitely convenience options like the KFC drive-through, and if you want that temporary convenience, we would recommend you go to an employment agency.
But I will see you at some point in time.
After all, we will solve your problems, guaranteed.
So it is simple.
We are running million-dollar-plus gear nowadays, and an operator is not enough.
One mistake and she is all show over.
Ain’t enough cash to fill the beer fridge up!
So, labourers vs skilled managers vs team members vs you, vs you with us.
Let us break it down.
So KFC tastes good.
Zip into the drive-through, grab it and keep going until you start to feel a bit rough, and you go, “I love the taste of it, but it is not good, reliable fuel.”
That is the price of convenience.
Agencies are designed to solve your problem: find a staff member.
You ring them up, order your new tractor driver like a Zinger Box, and they send you whatever they have in the warming drawer.
They have a database of people, they will compile those options and also try external advertising.
They do not always look for the best person for your farm. They look for the next person on the list who is most suited at the time.
It feels good over the short term, then all the usual flaws start to unravel, just like the good old dirty bird.
You regret it later when the “sugar crash” hits, usually in the form of a breakdown, a dispute, or the bloke walking off the job because his mates are at the pub, or he has pranged the gear whilst being on the phone and cannot be honest and own up.
The reality is, we created this standard, and what we do in our day-to-day business has put us here.
Well, I said I was going to deliver and explain why it is important for staff to come to you.
If you set standards, culture and desire into your business, you will see a flock of staff come to you.
The reason is that people want to be involved in a business that does good work.
By doing these things, you put yourself in control of setting the standards you require, and before you know it, you will have so many options for staff with different levels of standards and experience.
These methods are not convenient nor quick, but once the time is invested, it will lead to an ongoing positive stream of staff.
It will take longer for you to do it, so if convenience is still your thing, keep going around that circle until you are ready to work for the rewards.
To recognise what I am saying here, you need the mentality of not “what is it going to cost to do this?” but “what does it cost me to not do this?”
Now, how you achieve that is on you to process, but there are many ways, and everyone has their own method to the madness.
What you will find is that implementing such things into your business will yield more than one result, so think big.
But does this answer the question of why it is important for staff to come to you, rather than you coming to them?
If you set your standards, the culture, the desire, everything in terms of staff will be tenfold better than any other option.
As we broke down in our Ag Contractor Cost Estimator, a $50/hr employee does not cost you $50.
Once you add super at 12%, WorkCover at around 4% to 5%, accommodation, tucker and use of work vehicle, that operator is actually costing your business $75 to $85 per hour.
Now that is a proper investment, big coin over the long term, but if that investment has a solid return on it, it is probably one of the best investments to have.
The uptime from them being alert, to catching issues quickly, resulting in you saving thousands, simply put, this investment can control your business outcomes more than you at times.
So what is the real cost of it?
Honestly, the costs of bad staff members and the associated costs cannot be calculated, but the stress you go through cannot be put into figures.
Can we put a cost on the damage to your reputation because one of your investments, aka a staff member, has pissed off a client of yours?
The list just goes on and on and on.
Nowadays, staff have more responsibility than ever before, and the quality is lower than it has ever been.
But you can get the best staff, as there is no shortage out there.
So what does it cost you to have a bad operator?
What does it not cost you to have a bad operator?
Agricultural labour hire can help fill a seat.
But filling a seat and building a team are not the same thing.
When your business becomes the kind of place good people want to be part of, you change the whole conversation.
That is where the long-term win is.
Not just getting someone for the season, but becoming the business people want to come back to.
Broadacre Contracting and everyone in our business knows ag.
If you want help to resolve staff issues, reach out.
We can help with labourers vs skilled managers vs team members vs you, vs you with us.
If you are sick of filling seats and want to start building a stronger team, Broadacre Contracting can help you think through the right approach.
These resources may help growers and agricultural businesses think through employment obligations, workforce options and hiring support.
Agricultural labour hire usually refers to using an agency or provider to source workers for farm, machinery, harvest, livestock, horticulture or other agricultural roles. The quality and suitability of the worker can vary depending on the provider and process.
No. Broadacre Contracting is not positioning itself as a standard labour hire agency. The focus is on helping agricultural businesses build stronger teams, improve standards and find people who suit the business properly.
Good farm staff can come through networks, referrals, industry platforms, recruitment providers and direct interest in your business. The strongest long-term approach is building a business culture and standard that makes good people want to come to you.
Farm management roles usually need more than a standard worker search. You need people with responsibility, communication, decision-making and machinery or operational understanding. A stronger process is needed than just filling a seat quickly.
A recruitment agency may help source candidates, but a skilled operator brings practical experience, machinery awareness, responsibility and the ability to protect gear, jobs, clients and the business reputation.
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