BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — From the fruit orchards of California to dairy farms in Cambria County, Pa., a labor shortage is affecting the entire food chain industry, including agriculture.

A recent Associated Press report spotlighted a labor shortage at Vale Wood Farms in Cambria County, where owners are reaching out to local high school children to fill vacant positions for full time jobs with benefits. The article pointed out that those in the ag industry are competing with restaurant and warehouse jobs that offer incentives farmers can’t afford, including a salary bump, sign-on bonus, less labor-intensive responsibilities and an air-conditioned environment.

The labor shortage is also hitting home in the Heartland, where some farms struggle to attract qualified labor, restaurant job ads go unanswered, and some corn de-tasseling contractors struggle to meet deadlines due to short crews.

“There is a labor shortage going on across the state and across the food system industry, and it’s a very complicated situation,” said Raghela Scavuzzo, associate director of food systems development at the Illinois Farm Bureau. “In full transparency, agriculture is not new to labor shortages. It is why there are programs like the H2A immigration program that allows migrant workers to come to the US and work on farms, because we already faced a labor shortage prior to Covid. But now we are seeing it exponentially higher.”

The labor shortage is across the workforce, according to Scavuzzo, creating a supply issue for restaurants looking to hire employees and maintain popular menu offerings. “That’s going to change the way we order or process food as well; processors are facing a shortage creating a problem that we’ll all have to work through that doesn’t have a simple answer,” she said.

The Illinois agritourism industry is struggling to find ticket takers, concessions operators and other seasonal employees, according to Scavuzzo. In addition, the Illinois State Fair has taken the unusual step of issuing a news release offering various employment opportunities at the Springfield and Du Quoin state fairs beginning at $11 per hour. Commodity organizations including the Illinois Specialty Growers Association and the Illinois Pork Producers Association have issued social media pleas for volunteers to staff their popular food tent and birthing center, respectively.

The labor shortage has trickled down to the historically youth-centered corn de-tasseling industry. In Princeton, Illinois, Team Corn and Soil leader Matt May said his company has faced an entirely unique set of challenges this season.

“We’re not really having trouble attracting employees, so much as we are having trouble getting them to show up for work. It’s been a bit of an anomaly this year. We have hired more than enough people, but less than half of the people we hired are actually showing up, and that’s never been the case before,” said May, adding that in a normal year work attendance would average 80 percent or more of the hired workforce on a daily basis. This year, it’s been closer to 30 or 40 percent. In one small central Illinois town, only 17 of 45 hired employees showed up for work when their crew was activated. On one day, only 11 boarded the bus.

“Ironically this was one of our three best years for recruitment, and we had nearly every crew closed before the start of the year, which is phenomenal. The thing is, once the crew was closed, less than half showed up for work. We’ve never seen that in 21 years in business,” said May.

The labor shortage is compelling farm employers to step up their efforts to reach more potential employees, noted the IFB’s Scavuzzo.

“We know it’s a difficult situation, but farms are constantly looking for labor and more, and are constantly trying to make sure they are providing a safe environment for their employees with fair wages. They are willing to take help wherever they can get it,” said Scavuzzo. The Illinois Farm Bureau, in partnership with the Farmer Veteran Coalition, helped establish the Farm Core program to help connect veterans with job postings in the food industry. Businesses can post their positions to attract veterans to their businesses, she added.