Adams County’s green spaces are some of the biggest reasons for our highly-rated quality of life. It seems like everyone enjoys and appreciates our expansive battlefield vistas, fields and forests, orchards and nature. And those agricultural green spaces drive one of our most unique industries: agribusiness, a blending of agriculture and business, manufacturing and food production.

Here at the Alliance, we deeply respect our human connection to land. So much so, that we’re currently focused on a big question: What do our agribusinesses need, to succeed?

The Alliance is proud to announce we’re launching an Adams County Agribusiness Project—a countywide needs assessment of agricultural workers, farmers, business owners and migrant seasonal farm worker families. This project is being funded by South Central Pennsylvania Works (SCPa Works), our regional workforce development board, and our partners include Collaborating for Youth and Allegro Learning Solutions.

Primary goals for the project include:

  • Conducting outreach to business leaders within Adams County’s ag industry
  • Assessing agribusiness workforce needs
  • Gaining understanding of workforce challenges facing ag leaders

In a nutshell, we look forward to learning about the current challenges within the agribusiness sector and how we might help fix or fill any gaps, with the long-term goal of nurturing and retaining this vital workforce.

The point person for this Adams County Agribusiness project is Brady Rodgers, our Director of Business and Community Outreach. I encourage all agribusiness leaders to reach out to Brady (or be prepared for his call!) and let your voice be heard. The Alliance has the potential to bolster and help agribusinesses prepare for the future, so please tell us honestly what you’re experiencing and what you need to succeed. How can we help? How can we facilitate and anticipate current and future workforce needs?

I also want to take this opportunity to put Brady in the spotlight: Since he joined our organization almost exactly a year ago, he has made great strides, a wonderful difference in our community. It is still difficult for our small economic development organization to cover the entire county’s industry needs, but with Brady’s help, we are doing so much more.

Brady has taken the reins of our ENGAGE! Program, meeting one-on-one with business leaders to assess needs across a wide variety of small businesses and corporations. He has also assisted with the formation of our Adams County Veterans Advocate Network, designed to help our nearly 8,000 veterans with the challenges they face, including affordable housing, transportation, mental health and even food insecurity.

Join me in wishing Brady a happy anniversary! He has quickly become a friendly face of our organization within the community. We look forward to learning how we can expand our economic development role, through his newest focus, assisting agribusinesses. Please reach out to Brady at [email protected] or 717-334-0042, extension 4.

We look forward to sharing what we learn about Adams County’s agribusinesses and how we can strengthen this niche into the future.

Robin Fitzpatrick is President of Adams Economic Alliance, which comprises three organizations: The Adams County Economic Development Corporation (ACEDC), the Adams County Industrial Development Authority (ACIDA) and the Adams County General Authority (ACGA). Follow us on Twitter (@AdamsAlliance), Facebook (Facebook.com/AdamsAlliance) and LinkedIn (Adams Economic Alliance).

This article originally published in the Gettysburg Times, May 11, 2023