How do I hand a market garden’s seasonal crew and field leads to a new owner?
Introduce the new owner to the field leads and returning crew well before the season, explain who does what and why, and let the leads show their routines. Ask your best people what they need to stay, and have them meet the new owner as a colleague, not as a replacement boss.
The crew is often the real continuity in a market garden. Start by listing everyone: field leads, returning workers, new hires, and anyone who comes only for harvest peaks. Note their skills, their hours and what they do best. Tell the new owner who holds knowledge that is not written down, such as where the wet spots are or how the picking order works.
Then plan the introductions. Bring the field leads into the conversation about the handover before it is announced widely, if you can. People are more likely to stay when they hear the news from you and have a say in how it goes. Let them show the new owner how they run a harvest or planting day, and listen to what they say could be better.
Make the working terms clear. Discuss pay, hours and expectations with the new owner, and ask your lawyer and accountant what must be handled for employees in a sale. Plan a first season in which you remain available, and check in with the leads after the first few weeks to see what is working. Ask each lead what they would like to keep the same, because small habits often matter most to returning workers.
Key takeaways
- Introduce field leads early and tell them yourself before the news spreads.
- Record the unwritten knowledge each lead holds and pass it on.
- Ask your lawyer and accountant what must be handled for employees in a sale.
Related reading
15 pages on the same subject, grouped by topic.
Selling
- Expert answerHow do I explain a sod farm’s idle fields and rotation plan to a buyer?
- Expert answerHow do I hand over my honey business’s farmers market and retail accounts?
- Expert answerHow do I tell my janitorial crew leads I’m selling without losing them?
- Expert answerHow do I organize my grain farm’s field maps and yield history for a buyer?
Due diligence
- Expert answerWhat should I look at in a mushroom farm’s picking crew and packing line?
- Expert answerHow do I check a farm supply store’s slow-moving seasonal inventory?
- Expert answerWhat should I ask about a garden centre’s seasonal staff hiring and training?
- Expert answerHow do I assess the seasonal crew a holiday lighting company depends on?
- Expert answerWhat should I ask about a moving company’s seasonal crew hiring pattern?
- Expert answerHow do I check a vineyard’s pruning and harvest crew arrangements?
Succession
- Expert answerHow can I pass on my masonry company’s craft knowledge to a younger crew lead?
- Expert answerHow do I hand my video production company’s freelance crew over to a new owner?
- Expert answerHow do I pass my custom seeding routes and field knowledge to a new owner?
- Expert answerWho should I train to lead a survey crew before I step away?
Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat is succession planning?
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentAdvice for succession planning - Articles and tools
Deavo is an advertising and listings platform, not a brokerage, law firm or valuation firm. This page is general information, not legal, tax, accounting or valuation advice, and rules differ by province. Confirm anything you rely on with a qualified professional before you act on it.