Securing the Future

On the trade organization side, Meunier outlined two initiatives currently aimed at younger generations. ‘Career Pathways’ brings students and professors from Canadian colleges to produce conventions for mentoring opportunities, while the ‘Passion for Produce’ program offers young people already in the industry the chance to attend trade shows and discover the wide world of produce. “We did a really cool mentoring session [in 2013] where each mentor sat down and had a no-holds-barred conversation about what it’s really like, and what we need to do to move forward.”

On the corporate side of the coin, recruiting has evolved into a high-tech partnership between human resources (HR) and marketing. Pam Hutchinson, human resources director for Preston, MD-based third-party logistics provider Choptank, Inc., says, “The corporate recruiter, while technically falling under the HR umbrella, is also an active marketer of the company. Our recruiter sources candidates and conducts interviews, but is also responsible for the increasing awareness of our ‘employer brand’ on social media and college campuses.”

Further, Hutchinson notes, “Technology drives the recruitment process. Today’s recruiter has to be savvy in all current social media platforms and able to analyze and leverage the latest applicant tracking and management software. In this respect, it mirrors the duties of sales reps; while both functions rely heavily on developing relationships and require a human touch, you can no longer operate efficiently without being able to utilize CRM [customer relationship management] systems.”

From the Trenches
Many agricultural jobs begin at home, not with a university degree. Jim Snyder began working for the family business at seventeen. For him and several family members, he says, “It was in our blood, so we followed suit.” Though a few started out doing something else, or went to college and got an education first, they still ended up at the family truck brokerage.

Paul Mastronardi, CEO of Mastronardi Produce Ltd. in Ontario, said he started out before the age of ten going to the Detroit market on Saturdays to unload trucks with his father. After majoring in physics in college, he joined the family business by choice, not because it was expected.

Reid noted just under half of industry executives began their careers in other sectors before ending up in produce. But for those without a family business, which jobs are drawing the most people?

Cal Poly’s Silcott has seen a rise in enrollment for pest control licensing, and most of these individuals begin working right out of school due to high demand. Interest in food safety inspection has also climbed, she says, as have jobs for Agricultural Communications majors who can work in many capacities from agribusiness sales and marketing to commodity groups, trade organizations, or government agencies, while some go on to graduate studies or law school.