As you know, beef production businesses cannot completely stop for holidays. You and your employees, however, are members of families and social groups that have holiday expectations, traditions and plans. 

Higher wages being paid across the country create a disadvantage for an industry that already fights to keep margins at a profitable point. Those who do a good job recruiting and taking care of qualified employees will have the upper hand.

Jeanette Lombardo is the executive director of the Farmer Veteran Coalition based in Waco, Texas.

Dinosaur bones, indoor farming, uninsurable California and labor law penalties – the fringes of agriculture at its most diverse, I'd say.

A Chicago native and decorated veteran, Burdulinski served the country in the U.S. Army beginning in 2004, serving in deployments to Afghanistan, Kuwait and South Korea.

Studies have also determined that some 50% of feedyard workers are Latino. Combining the inherent risks of a feedyard with a language barrier that significantly hampers communication can set the stage for serious incidents and injuries.