Three Creative (and Practical) Labor-Sourcing Approaches
August 2, 2024 Aside from location and working in the CEA space, Recovery Park and Planted Detroit have little in common, especially when it comes to sourcing labor. Each company has its own approach to taking advantage of the hearty Detroiter work ethic, keeping its CEA operation running smoothly and efficiently.
Photo: Recovery Park
Recovery Park: Engaging With the Community
Formed in 2008, Recovery Park seeks to improve community redevelopment in a variety of ways. In addition to food production, founder Gary Wozniak made job creation a top priority for his organization. As someone who struggled to find employment after recovering from addiction and leaving the prison system, Wozniak has specifically reached out to these groups of people.
“Our model is to hire people coming out of prisons and drug treatment programs,” Wozniak said. “I spent three and a half years in federal prison in the late ‘80s because of my addiction, so it’s near and dear to my heart.”
In Michigan, six prisons have farms inside their walls. While this doesn’t necessarily prepare inmates to work in greenhouses and indoor farms, it does give them basic farming skills. Wozniak breaks down hydroponic growing into individual tasks to make the transition from traditional farming to CEA easier to grasp.
“Every day, [our workers] learn a new skill set,” Wozniak said. “I’ve done hydroponic farming, and I believe that just working the land and watching plants grow really helps people with their self-esteem and gives them skills they can learn.”
Planted Detroit: Working With the Right Agency
Over the last five years, Planted Detroit has experienced several twists and turns. After altering its business model and shutting down twice, the company now focuses on one vision: to provide fresh, nutritious and flavorful leafy greens to people around the world. To do that, the company must source employees who understand the importance of cleanliness and efficiency in a CEA operation.
“We created a partnership with an industrial staffing agency,” said Amy Bednarchick, director of operations at Planted Detroit. “They do a lot of work with food and food processing. But it also helps to be in Detroit where people work and train hard, so we’re very fortunate to be here.”
In her current role, one of Bednarchick’s main goals is to protect Planted Detroit’s profitability. She remained with the company during both shutdowns after the onset of COVID-19, and she made sure business ran optimally during those times. When the company unfortunately lost many of its employees, it forced Bednarchick to focus on the future and help Planted Detroit come back stronger as an organization.
“My primary focus is making sure Planted is running as optimal as possible,” Bednarchick said. “Part of that meant forming partnerships to set the company up for future stability.”
In addition to partnering with a staffing agency, Planted Detroit works with Fulfilled and Carmela Foods to get their packaged salads (which are made in-house) to their customers quickly. Partnering with a packing company was pivotal for Planted Detroit, as they once had to make, package and deliver each salad on their own.
Photo: Legacy Labor
Legacy Labor: H-2A Staffing Solutions
As a labor contractor, Legacy Labor provides growers with employees who are approved through the H-2A program in every state except for California. Unlike labor staffing agencies, Legacy Labor compensates employees, provides them with transportation and handles other essential tasks so growers can focus on running their operations.
“Labor contractors are here so growers can focus on what they need to do right,” said Terry Vandercook, sales development coordinator at Legacy Labor. “They can focus on growing, selling, and taking care of their customers.”
Prior to working with Legacy Labor, Vandercook saw effective strategies for sourcing local labor from his experience working at an economic development organization. Considering growers can only use H-2A programs if local labor isn’t available, he encourages them to contact their local workforce development agency. From there, the agency will connect them to individuals looking for jobs in agriculture.
“When a grower connects with their local workforce development agency, they’re put in contact with people who want to work in agriculture,” Vandercook said. “This could be people who were incarcerated previously, veterans who are leaving the military and looking for agricultural work, or even apprenticeships. Oftentimes people think of apprenticeships as being mechanical or electrical, but there are a lot of opportunities in agriculture right now.”
There are many different avenues for sourcing local labor, and the effectiveness of each approach will vary depending on where a grower is located. By contacting their local workforce development agency, growers can easily decide which employee sourcing strategy works best for their operation.
Employee Sourcing Isn’t Universal
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach for sourcing employees in CEA. For some, working with an agency or labor contractor that understands the needs of their indoor farm is key. For others, taking a more creative approach works better. Local resources are available to help understand how you can best accomplish your staffing goals.
Get Expert Advice In Person
Gary Wozniak, Amy Bednarchick and Terry Vandercook are all speaking at the CEAg World Conference and Expo in Raleigh from August 26 through 28. Learn more about the topics they’re speaking about and get the full event agenda on our events page.