A mobile marketplace launched this fall is connecting Nebraska farmers with seasonal workers as producers face more difficulty finding help for harvest and other short-term jobs.
Harvest Help was created by John and Tommie Lenhart, who farm in Nebraska and Iowa and developed the platform over two years. Nearly 200 people in three states now use the service, which allows farmers to seek workers for periods ranging from a week to a month or to find people who can bring equipment for specialized work.
Short-term labor needs
Aaron Block, who took over his family’s farm near Hallam about two years ago, said he often depends on people from the surrounding community during harvest. Some of the workers are retired residents who help part time with tasks such as operating grain carts.
“A lot of times it’s retired guys that are just helping part-time, especially during harvest — just helping with grain carts.” — Aaron Block
Block said narrow farm margins make labor costs a consideration for producers. His comments reflect a need for flexible help that can be brought in when harvest work intensifies without requiring a farm to maintain a larger year-round workforce.
John Lenhart works in grain-marketing consulting for a Lincoln company and has about 19 years of experience in the grain industry. He and Tommie Lenhart began farming 16 years ago and now own farmland in both Nebraska and Iowa. Their operation has relied on outside help for custom planting, harvesting, dirt work, tree work and trucking because they have limited equipment.
“I think as we go further down the road here with fewer people coming into agriculture, especially younger people, it is harder to find that labor. That shortage seems to be growing.” — John Lenhart
How the platform works
Harvest Help operates as a two-sided marketplace. Farmers can post needs for temporary assistance, while workers can offer labor, equipment or services. The platform is also designed to let farmers and workers maintain contact networks so they can reconnect for future jobs.
That feature is intended to support repeat relationships rather than one-time matches. Tommie Lenhart said users can add people they have hired or worked for to their networks and contact them again when another job becomes available.
The Lenharts’ own experience shaped the service. Their farm has used contractors for several types of work, including planting, harvesting and hauling. The platform gives producers another way to locate help beyond their immediate community as labor needs change during the growing season.
- Nearly 200 users are active across three states.
- The service is intended for work lasting from about a week to a month as well as shorter fill-in jobs.
- Farmers can look for workers, equipment operators and people offering agricultural services.
Harvest Help’s launch comes as Nebraska producers continue to depend on seasonal labor and local networks to complete time-sensitive field work. The platform’s current users include farmers and workers seeking arrangements for harvest, custom operations and other tasks around the farm.
