COLUMBIA, Mo. – New how-to videos and related resources from University of Missouri Extension specialists can help farm operators looking to attract and keep workers.

“Finding and keeping employees continues to be a major issue on farms,” said MU Extension agricultural economist Joe Horner. “These bite-sized videos — available on the MU Extension website and YouTube — were designed to help farmers improve labor management.”

The animated videos, most of which are a little over two minutes long, guide Missouri farmers through enhancing their labor management skills.

“The videos cover best practices throughout the employment process, from recruitment to termination,” said Ryan Milhollin, assistant extension professor for agricultural business and policy in the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.

Subjects include interviewing applicants, onboarding new hires, developing attractive compensation plans and conducting performance reviews.

In addition to the videos, the MU Extension Farm Labor webpage features links to related resources, including downloadable worksheets created by MU Extension.

“The easy-to-use checklists or templates tied to each video give producers a way to apply the information from the videos and customize labor management practices for their own farms,” Milhollin said.

For example, Annual To-Dos for Farm Employers (PDF) breaks down employer obligations that farms don’t want to forget. The Farm Job Promotional Plan (PDF) offers a step-by-step guide to recruiting job candidates.

Find the videos and resources at mizzou.us/FarmLabor.

The North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center, the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and University of Missouri Extension provided funding to develop the videos and complementary resources.