The People Side of Agritourism: Hiring, Training, and Empowering Employees
Agricultural Issues
Rob Leeds
ANR Educator, Assistant Professor
The Ohio State University Extension
DELAWARE
Abstract
Agritourism is a rapidly growing sector across the United States, with many farmers integrating agritourism enterprises to increase revenue, diversify products and services, and strengthen connections between consumers and agriculture. According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, U.S. agricultural producers earned $1.26 billion from agritourism and recreational services. This represents a 12.4% increase in income from 2017. As agritourism and direct agricultural marketing operations expand, workforce challenges have become increasingly pronounced. Research conducted by The Ohio State University in 2022 identified staffing as one of the most significant barriers to the success of agritourism operations. Operators reported difficulties with employee recruitment and retention, the need for effective staff training, and challenges in empowering seasonal employees. To help address these challenges, the Ohio Direct Marketing team put together a practical framework focused on how agritourism and direct marketing operations can hire, train, and empower a strong workforce. The lesson starts with hiring, emphasizing how bringing in the right people sets the tone for great customer service. It highlights how a thoughtful candidate interview process can help identify employees who not only have the right skills but also fit the values and customer-service culture of the farm operation. The lesson also emphasizes the importance of ongoing employee training to help employees make effective decisions and respond to customer service issues and satisfaction across every aspect of the operation. Regular communication and consistent training help create a workforce that feels engaged, prepared, and trusted to do their job. When employees are trained and supported, they can become a key part of what makes an agritourism operation successful. This session will introduce a practical, values-based system that agritourism operations can use to hire, train, and empower employees as a key asset to their long-term success. This session will provide Educators with the materials and strategies needed to train agritourism entrepreneurs in effective staff management. Participants will see how values-based hiring, training, and employee empowerment can be used on farms, and hear real examples from Ohio operations that have successfully implemented these practices.
Authors: Rob Leeds, Jacci Smith, Christie Welch
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Rob Leeds ANR Educator, Assistant Professor, OSU Extension, Ohio, 43015-1707
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Jacci Smith ANR/4-H Educator, OSU Extension, Ohio, 43015
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Christie Welch Direct Food & Agricultural Marketing Specialist, OSU Extension, Ohio, 45661