Agribusiness expansion requires HR departments to properly plan workforce requirements in all crop and livestock production sectors.

FREMONT, CA: The role of human resources in agribusiness extension is concentrated on recruiting and managing a staff composed of greatly specialized professionals, semi-skilled laborers, and unskilled laborers.

Agribusiness contains technical and labor-intensive activities that are required to optimize production from inputs invested in crop production and animal husbandry. Therefore, agribusiness expansion requires HR departments to properly plan workforce requirements in all crop and livestock production sectors.

Forecasting Human Resources Needs of the Agribusiness

The HR office works carefully with the operations management team to determine the adequate number of specialized workforce and farm support laborers required to handle the increased volumes of farm activities and produce marketing.

To this end, HR ensures that the personnel requirements for supporting the agribusiness's various technical agricultural processes and marketing activities are adjusted to match the extra activities that come with expansion. HR either multi-tasks the workforce or recruits specialist employees to assure that the skills, farm machinery, and labor-intense activities are supplied with adequate personnel.

Retaining and Recruiting Personnel

HR joins forces with the heads of sections or departments to uphold and recruit personnel and gain the desired skill sets for an agribusiness workforce. HR must cooperate with the department heads due to the business's varied nature and the workforce's required skills.

Managers of areas such as horticulture, milk processing, livestock breeding, milk production, and marketing are in the best position to decide the minimum requirements and suitable remuneration packages for the specialized agricultural workers of their respective departments.

Implementing Policies

HR also ensures that the agribusiness's expansion is done within the established policies for compensating, promoting, and inspiring employees in different farm departments and production sections.

HR ensures that employees' job descriptions and responsibilities align with the business's overall production and performance targets. HR collaborates with top management to guarantee that employees participate fully and benefit from the growth activities, for example, research and development of animal breeds and crop species.

Managing Specialized Agribusiness Awareness and Skills

Managing knowledge includes facilitating employees to enhance their agricultural skills and work credentials through employee mentoring programs, research & development in new animal breeds and crop species, and education improvement in fields of specialization like agricultural engineering.

The dynamic nature of agribusiness needs a personnel team capable of adjusting and living up to the expectations of the ever-changing business environment. Therefore, HR spearheads supporting and keeping track of the knowledge management initiatives to ensure that personnel is continuously exposed to learning opportunities on work processes and agricultural technological developments.