Employers can capitalize on employees' interests and the advantages they see in farm work. People who love animals are motivated by the opportunity to work with animals. Jobs emphasizing animals attract such people. Some people like machinery much more than animals. Some enjoy repairing machinery more than operating it.
Managers have the primary responsibility for designing jobs.
They first need to take into consideration the tasks that must be accomplished for the farm to succeed. They can also take into consideration what individuals want in their jobs. Sometimes minor changes in job design can dramatically improve a job in the employee's view, e.g., changing a calf feeder's job to include, or no longer include, explanation of calf care to farm visitors. Another example is asking the employee to work closely with the veterinarian to improve calf health. Job design cannot overcome the fact that no job is perfect.