Workforce needs bring changes in farmmanagement NATIONWIDE NEWS
and safe,” Becker said. “That’s not an easy transition for farmerswhoarewired toput ROI first. It’s hard to put a price on adding people and resources tomake sure you’re not becomingmore exposed to risk.” Mitigating that risk on large farms hap- pens in different ways. Managing a large farm today accounts for riskmitigation in severalways. Consider devoting resources to these priorities as your farmgrows: •Workforce trainingandeducation. Just like training drivers tomeet certain safety standards when growing your truck fleet, for example, add educational programs to ensure everyworker knows the hazards of each job on the farmand is prepared to mitigate those hazards. • Health care and compensation. Providegoodbenefitsandcompetitivepay
to not only retain workers but make your farman attractive workplace for qualified candidates as you grow. • Specific liabilitycoverage.Asyougrow, your farm faces newhazards. Account for managing largergrainstorage facilitiesand machinery fleets, for example, in your risk management plan to ensure you’re cov- eredandnot exposedto increased liability. Though returnon investment is amajor factor inmanychangesasyour farmgrows, it’s often difficult to measure for things suchasworkforce trainingandeducation. That doesn’tmean they’rewithout value. “Since these aren’t really tangible, they’re not necessarily going to show a direct ROI,” Becker said. “It’s important to see the value of these things when you’re growing your operation.”
For these typesof specific farmmanage- ment components, Owens recommends thinking in the context of both ROI and general competitiveness. “There has to be a return on the in- vestment,” he said. “Investing in these types of things will help make you more competitive, which will provide ROI in the long run.” For more tips and information to help maintain the safety of your farm, vis- it www.nationwide.com/lc/resources/ farm-and-agribusiness. *A.M. Best Market Share Report 2019. Nationwide, the Nationwide N and Eagle, andNationwide is onyour sideare service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. ©2021Nationwide.
The following information is provided by Nationwide, the No. 1 farm and ranch insurer in theU.S.* It’s a trend in American agriculture: The big are getting bigger. Recent U.S. DepartmentofAgriculturedatashowfarms with at least $1million in annual revenue account for4%of thenation’sfarmsbut66% of thecommoditiesproducedinthenation. Thoughmany remainfamily farms, their owners and operators are increasingly adaptingfarmmanagementstrategiestoin- tegrate things suchashuman relations and employee management. Many of today’s farmsarestartingtolookless liketraditional family farms andmore likecorporations. “What we used to think of as a farm is evolvingandwill continue toevolve,mov- ing forward,” according to Nationwide Agribusiness FarmUnderwritingDirector Justin Owens. “As they grow, one trend we’re seeing is they’re taking on the look of commercial ag operations today.” As farms and acres grow, so do work- forces. That causes changes in farmman- agement priorities, added Nationwide AgribusinessSeniorUnderwritingDirector DougBecker. “Large farmers are investing in bigger facilities and truck fleets. Youmay need to start addingHRresources soyoucanman- age new tasks like vetting truck drivers, so you know your fleet is well-maintained
State FFA to hold virtual Leadership Conference
The 93rd annual California State FFA Leadership Conference will be staged as a virtual event, May 14-16. TheCaliforniaFFAFoundation said the conference will be delivered via “amulti- faceted online platform” andwill include six live conference sessions, workshops, a College and Career Exposition, a State Degree ceremony and recognition ses-
sion, a keynote speaker and a conference theme presentation. Thefoundationsaiduniversitiesandcol- leges will conduct workshops for student attendeesonMay14 from10a.m. tonoon. The interactive College and Career Expositionwill be heldMay 14 from12:30 to 4 p.m. The foundation said the exposi- tion will “facilitate engagement between
FFAmembers and leaders in industry and postsecondary education.” FFA award finalists will be recognized during conference sessions and will be included virtually. Registration for live viewing of the con- ference costs $50 and can be completed at caffa.eventsair.com/leadership-2021/ spguest-reg/Site/Register.
CALIFORNIA IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM CIMIS REPORT | www.cimis.water.ca.gov
For the week April 15 - April 21, 2021 ETO (INCHES/WEEK)
YEAR
3.0
THIS YEAR
2.5
LAST YEAR AVERAGE YEAR
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
MACDOEL II (236)
BIGGS (244)
DAVIS (06)
MANTECA (70)
FRESNO (80)
SALINAS-SOUTH (214)
FIVE POINTS (2)
SHAFTER (5)
TEMECULA (62)
IMPERIAL (87)
THIS YEAR LAST YEAR AVG. YEAR % FROM AVG.
1.30 1.23 1.07 23
1.51 1.23 1.22 23
1.73 1.17 1.45 18
1.68 1.19 1.33 26
1.57 1.24 1.21 30
1.62 1.29 1.28 28
1.56 1.07 1.28 21
1.10 1.02 1.12 -1
1.19 .88 1.16 1
1.90 1.80 1.80 5
W eekly reference evapotranspiration (ETo) is the rate of water use (evapotranspiration—the sum of soil evaporation and crop transpiration) for healthy pasture grass. Multiplying ETo by the appropriate “crop coefficient” gives estimates of the ET for other crops. For example, assume ETo on June 15 is 0.267 inches and the crop coefficient for corn on that day is 1.1. Multiplying ETo by the coefficient (0.26 inches x 1.1) results in a corn ET of 0.29 inches. This
information is useful in determining the amount and timing of irriga- tion water. Contact Richard Snyder, UC Davis, for information on coefficients, 530-752-4628. The 10 graphs provide weekly ETo rates for selected areas for average year, last year and this year. The ETo information is provided by the California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS) of the California Department of Water Resources.
For information contact the DWR district office or DWR state headquarters:
SACRAMENTO HEADQUARTERS: 916-651-9679 • 916-651-7218
NORTHERN REGION: Red Bluff 530-529-7301
NORTH CENTRAL REGION: West Sacramento 916-376-9630
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION:
SOUTHERN REGION:
Fresno 559-230-3334
Glendale 818-500-1645 x247 or x243
April 28, 2021 Ag Alert 19
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