On Friday, the U.S. Department of Labor announced the February jobs report. The economy added 372,000 jobs for the month. This figure crushed expectations.

There was a lot of discussion about the impact of the Arctic Blast over the middle of the country in February and the impact on hiring.

Funny how the short-term picture always gets the most attention. 

In rural America, where the weather front primarily hit, there’s been a bigger storm brewing for several decades. Rural unemployment has still not recovered since the 2008 recession.

I don’t think I need to spend too much time showing any data on what is obvious to you and me. Over my lifetime, I’ve watched elevators shut down, family farms close, and more and more people get pushed to the margins as the rural economy takes a back seat. 

The Department of Labor will tell you the “official unemployment” number. 

But we know that in rural towns where factories are shutting and mills are closing, there’s an economic cloud that hovers for prolonged – if not indefinite – periods of time. That figure doesn’t include the number of people who stopped looking for work. 

There are a lot of people who think that others are looking for a handout. 

We don’t believe it. I think they’re looking for a pathway. 

FOB presents a real opportunity for rural Americans. During a busy harvest, one can decide when they want to work and for how many hours. With the FOB app, they’re able to take on an entrepreneurial approach to their day. They can choose when they want to work. 

And the agricultural industry will be stronger from their participation. 

Most people associate delivery and side-gig applications with Uber, Doordash, TaskRabbit, and Amazon Flex. 

FOB – and many other technologies that will fall under DGE – represent a realistic approach to addressing our farming communities and rural America. 

Our goal is to provide ample opportunities for people in farming communities to find and start working immediately. As we enhance the process, we can ensure they get paid immediately.

This is our moment to present opportunity and a pathway to so many people in our communities that are looking for work that meets their schedule, their ambition, and their potential. 

Rural communities are the breadbasket of the world. Giving people a pathway to finding work and self-empowerment is the starting point to revitalizing these parts of the world that have been ignored by politicians and overlooked by investors. 

We see a significant source of economic growth, and it starts one user at a time. As our movement grows, we foresee a groundswell of investment and infrastructure.

If you’re a farm operator or agribusiness struggling to effectively coordinate the movement of people, products, or equipment, we want to hear your story.

Call us anytime or schedule a demo today.