Engaging a younger generation and attracting a new pool of talent can drive innovation and help shape the future of the agricultural industry
What will the future of farming bring? There have been many studies around trends and directions, but the one certainty is that the future of our company lies primarily with the new talent we are hiring. It is they who will shape and craft the future products and services we offer the world’s farmers. But before I dive into that, I want to take a step back.
In today’s world, in 2024, technology is ever present in every aspect of our daily lives. We use AI, often without thinking about it, we have powerful devices in the palms of our hands, our kitchens are like the mission controls of the 1960s … I could go on. And this is where our farmers live their lives off farm.
A tradition of technology
Yet there is still a lingering perception that farming is an old-fashioned and low-tech industry. The reality is totally different, and farmers are routinely employing tech that is streets ahead of the ‘domestic’ offering.
Farming has always been governed by the principle of doing more with less – right from the days of horse-drawn implements – and farmers have been on an age-old quest to sustainably boost productivity and efficiency, even if they would not have called it that back then. Today our focus at CNH is boosting the level of tech in the areas of electronics, mechanics and hydraulics. And this is only possible through the skilled and talented people who dedicate their lives to developing it. So, how do we go about finding this great tech talent?
“We know great talent is waiting to be uncovered and we are ready to welcome it”
The recruitment challenge
First of all, one of my main missions is championing the role of the so-called ‘tech nerd’. Agriculture is a place where these people can feel welcomed, where they can have fun, and where they can do meaningful work, not only to make farmers’ lives that little bit easier, but to help feed an ever-growing population that has now ticked past eight billion. And farmers are generally a receptive audience. They are motivated to be early adopters of tech as it drives their profitability, and the tech in agriculture is, in many cases, already more advanced than its on-road counterpart.
We do get people who apply to us directly, but we also conduct active outreach with universities across the entire globe which provides a great pipeline of promising new engineers who are keen to work at CNH. For example, in September I was invited to speak at Purdue University in Indiana, USA. On the occasion of the Maha fluid conference, I met with lots of smart colleagues from different industries and academic institutions, alongside potential future CNH-ers. By shedding light on what we do, we can ignite that spark, or perhaps I should say nurture that seed.
Widening the search
We also take part in ‘out of the box’ events. We were present at an event dedicated to all things car in central Italy earlier this year, we support high school STEM events and are engaged with Young Farmers’ Associations from all over the world. We know great talent is waiting to be uncovered and we are ready to welcome it. Who knows, perhaps someone reading this will be inspired to reach out after reading this piece…
What gets me up in the morning? My burning desire to build the future of farming, with fresh eyes and from creative angles. Fresh talent with diverse perspectives helps drive continuous innovation into the hands and fields of our customers.
