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Mary Barefoot
September 23, 2026
Newsletter ArticleWhat is a job worth? The answer matters from both sides of the employment relationship.
For employers, compensation must reflect the market, the responsibilities of the role, internal equity, business needs and the ability to attract and retain talent. For employees, pay represents recognition of their experience, capabilities, contributions and the value they bring to the organization.
As organizations become more sophisticated in their workforce planning, that same level of intentionality is increasingly being applied across compensation, development and succession planning.
“We are seeing a more calculated methodology in how organizations consider the roles people play and the value they both provide and receive, with greater attunement to their current capabilities as well as their future potential,” said Mary Barefoot, Manager of Research & Insights at AgCareers.com.
That balance is becoming increasingly important. The new 2026 AgCareers Ag & Food HR Review found that competing for talent is a leading HR concern for 51% of U.S. ag and food employers, while 47% of Canadian ag and food employers reporting recruiting difficulties as the biggest worry. These concerns were followed by a variety of mounting pressures including compensation systems and pay practices, retention efforts, succession planning, and benefits affordability.
For organizations, these pressures reinforce the importance of understanding compensation from multiple perspectives. Having a clear labor market context, supported with current market data helps employers understand how roles are being valued today. Together with an employee’s responsibilities, experience, performance and capabilities, these insights support more informed compensation decisions.
For employees, greater access to compensation information has also changed the conversation. Understanding how their organization approaches pay, career progression and the value of different skills can provide important context around compensation expectations. At the same time, salary is only one part of the equation; responsibilities, experience, geography, incentives, benefits and future opportunities can all influence the value of an employment relationship.
For employers, industry-specific salary surveys provide an objective market reference point for evaluating compensation. Reliable benchmarking can help organizations make more informed decisions about salary ranges, starting pay, increases and internal equity—and better equip leaders to communicate how compensation decisions are made and how pay is determined within their organization.
Ultimately, good compensation benchmarking isn't simply about paying more or comparing one salary to another. It is about understanding value from both sides. When employers have reliable data behind their decisions, they are better positioned to build a thoughtful compensation strategy and communicate it with employees in a way that supports greater clarity, transparency and trust.
Benchmark Compensation with Industry-Specific Data
The AgCareers.com Compensation Benchmark Review (CBR) is AgCareers’ exclusive salary survey for the agriculture and food industry, providing employers with industry-specific compensation data to benchmark roles and support informed pay decisions. Use the CBR to bring relevant market data into your compensation planning and build a more informed, defensible approach to pay.
Want to see how the Compensation Benchmark Review could work for your organization?
Book a free 20-minute demo with our team to take a closer look at the data, features, and how it can support your compensation planning.
Schedule your demo here: https://www.agcareers.com/compensation-benchmark-review/#cbr-demo-area
