4 Reasons to Invest in Farm Labor Software

Farming certainly has grown more challenging over the years. Of course, not everything has changed. You still work hard to grow quality produce and achieve a profitable harvest every year. But new regulations and advances in farming technology have made operating a farm more complex than it used to be.

Labor management has become particularly challenging for a lot of farmers. Changes in H2-A laws, overtime regulations, and an increasing minimum wage make farm labor more expensive. And you still need to hire, train, and get everyone ready for the harvest. Thankfully, farm labor software can do a lot of the heavy lifting, so you can save money and time to focus on everything else going on with your farm.

Why Invest in Farm Labor Software?

Farm labor software replaces pen-and-paper activities with tools to simplify worker hiring, onboarding, tracking time, production, and payroll.

Here are four key reasons it’s worth trying out for your farm:

1. Reduced Labor Expenses

Labor costs make up a significant portion of your operating budget. As labor costs rise, they have the potential to take a bigger bite out of your overall profitability. In a recent McKinsey survey, farmers said labor costs represented one of their farm’s top expenses over the next two years.

Government regulations are one of the leading causes of higher farm labor costs. For example, the latest H2-A adverse effect wage rate (AEWR) increases make it more expensive for farmers to hire and manage workers. Thankfully, farm labor software provides tools that make it easier to manage these wage increases, limit waste, and keep better track of labor expenses.

The right solution does this by:

• Improving worker time tracking: A badging system in the field automatically tracks clock-in and clock-out times, helping you limit costly practices like early clock-ins, late clock-outs, and buddy punching.
• Providing real-time views of farm production: Built-in reports and dashboards help you track fluctuations in worker pick totals, bushel counts, and overtime.
• Integrating with your payroll systems: Labor management software syncs with payroll to help you avoid calculation errors, underpayments, and overpayments. It also allows you to spend less time entering worker hours and approving payroll.

2. Improved Farm Profitability

Farm labor software improves your ability to record and monitor worker productivity so you can measure the quantity and quality of your harvest yield. For example, FieldClock’s app enables crew bosses to record barrel and bushel counts for every worker, no matter where or when they work. The app also records quality control notes and photos, allowing you to stay on top of trends in picking quantity and quality.

3. Limited Non-Compliance Risk

Farming carries no shortage of risks—the weather, pests, supply chain issues, and inflation, just to name a few. But there are also risks associated with farm labor, many related to compliance with the 180+ labor laws enforced by the Department of Labor. Farm labor software helps you comply with federal and state labor laws by automating payroll functions such as piecework break-pay, minimum-wage adjustments, and H2-A compensation for your workers. As a result, you can manage labor costs and stay in compliance with applicable laws.

4. Better Decision-Making

Farm labor software translates data collection in the field into clear, concise reports that help you make better-informed decisions about your labor needs. For example, you can:

• Run overtime reports to help you determine your need to hire new workers.
• See productivity trends that show you which workers need additional training.
• Identify which sections of your acreage are most profitable and ripe for expansion.

Labor Management Tools to Support Your Farm’s Future

Farm labor software provides user-friendly tools to help you improve worker productivity and work not just harder, but smarter. It’s also an investment in your farm’s future profitability and growth. To see how the right software solution can improve your next harvest for the better, learn more about FieldClock and our innovative solutions for farms like yours.