I have spent my life working in agriculture and food. It's an incredibly rewarding career, and I am proud to be a part of a diverse industry that feeds the world, cares for the environment, drives economic growth and prosperity, and innovates each and every day to deliver top quality food, fuel and fiber.
Earlier this year, AgriGrowth began connecting with members and partner organizations to talk about one of the key issues impacting our industry: attracting and retaining top talent. Even before our current labor shortage, our industry has been working diligently to promote ag education, recruit talent in AFNR (agriculture, food and natural resources), and help develop and retain top talent. For those of us working in agri-food in Minnesota, we know what a wonderful place our state is to live, work and raise a family. But how do we communicate that to others and grow the prominence and appeal of our industry, especially to those who may have limited exposure to agriculture?
Contemplating those questions, AgriGrowth and twelve other partners came together and created a special project: The Minnesota Ag Talent and Workforce Corner.
Knowing that we can do more when we collaborate, we are coming together as non-profits, educators, employers, and people representing organizations from across agri-food with the goal of attracting and retaining talent. As our global population grows, as we face challenges around climate, and as we enter into a new post-pandemic world, our industry is more vital than ever.
There are so many exciting careers in agri-food; please explore our site! We will be updating it regularly with new content, ideas and news stories, and we also welcome your input! It takes all of us to create a vibrant, thriving agri-food economy, and we know this project is just the beginning of great things to come.
If you have ideas, want to partner with us, or have questions, I encourage you to email me at tnelsen@agrigrowth.org.
Thank you, and welcome to our new Ag Talent and Workforce Corner!
