Desert Labor is owned by Jody Barker, a CHS 1988 graduate and local farmer. Desert Labor is an agricultural labor contracting business that opened in 2008. Jody works with area farmers and orchard owners to provide the best much needed temporary farm labor and services.

Desert Labor has 5 full time employees and about 100+ seasonal employees. Many of the laborers are local to the area/community but some come with work visa’s. When asked about expanding Desert Labor Jody stated “Yes, as a business I am always looking into ways to expand. We would love to work with more farmers and orchard owner’s and be able to offer more labor and services to the local agricultural community.” His main motivation for starting Desert Labor came from the shortage of seasonal and year-round labor in the area. Opening a business was a way to bring jobs to the area and add relief to the shortage. Jody also stated that he likes to add to the community, “we provide employment opportunities to the community, keeping good paying jobs local, if anyone is interested have them come by and apply.” You must be 18+ years old to apply. Jody enjoys working hand in hand with farmers and being involved in different aspects of the local agriculture. The idea of Desert Labor came when he was weeding his own field by hand with a few labor helpers and then it grew from an idea and expanded into a business from there. He provides the transportation for his groups to go out to fields/orchards.

In addition to Desert Labor, Jody also owns a separate business, Mid Basin Labor. Mid Basin offers services with H2A – which are seasonal laborers that come from Mexico with work visas. Most are here primarily for the harvesting of orchards and corn harvest during June – November. The H2A project provides housing, transportation and employment. There is currently H2A housing being planned in Connell that will be ready to be utilized for next year’s harvest season. With that, Jody looks forward to bringing more people to the area to shop and be a part of the community if only for a few months of the year. Bringing more commerce to Connell will add to the community and help businesses be successful too.

Jody and his wife Cristi live on a farm outside of Connell. Both grew up in Connell and are still very active within the community with the Chamber of Commerce, Community Club, Fall Festival Group and more. Desert Labor has supported both the Firework Show and Fall Festival for our community for several years.

Desert Labor also provides the services of purchasing tabs for auto, boat, RV, trailers, and recreational vehicles. The office is located at 133 N Columbia Ave in the center of Connell and is open from Monday – Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. You can visit their Facebook site “Desert Labor” or the website desertlabor.com for more information or call them at 509-234-9596.

CHS SunBasin Growers is a cooperative and one of many company-owned, locally-governed ag service centers within the CHS Inc. It is the nation’s leading farmer-owned cooperative, with ties going back to 1929, and is committed to delivering value and helping it’s owners grow. CHS offers services to farmers in grain, energy, agronomy and seed. The CHS commitment is adding value for farmers, ranchers and local cooperatives that began more than eight decades ago in rural America. CHS has grown considerably since its beginnings with operations now spanning the globe in the businesses of agriculture, energy, and food.

CHS Inc. headquarters is in Inver Grover Heights, Minnesota but they have locations all over the world (US, Canada, South America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia). The main office for CHS SunBasin Growers is located in Quincy with other locations across central Washington. Tyson Chick is the general manager of Connell.

CHS SunBasin Growers offers grain, energy, crop protection, crop nutrients, precision agriculture, agronomy application, seed and refined fuels and lubricants. They have approximately 200 employees that are comprised of full time, part time, and seasonal. CHS SunBasin is always looking for ways to expand as a business and provide more opportunities to help the local farmer-owners grow their operations. CHS’s priority is to help their farmer-owners grow; with products, programs, and services to help them from planning to planting and harvesting and marketing their crops.

CHS offers to the community a platform or partnership and shared success. They build lasting and mutually rewarding customer relationships while managing their business safely and with the highest integrity. They strive to be responsible stewards in the communities and value their employees and innovative spirit. CHS owns two refineries, one in Laurel, Montana and one in McPherson Kansas. Cenex fuels are a brand of CHS Inc. In the beginning, CHS started in the Pacific Northwest when the North Pacific Grain Growers (NPGG) organized as a regional cooperative in 1929 with its first meeting in Lewiston, Idaho.

The Connell office location is at 433 N Columbia on the North end of town. The office is open Monday – Friday 8am -5pm and on weekends and evenings during harvest. For more information you can visit chssunbasingrowers.com or call the 509-787-3511.