People in Ag Program Offers HR Training Across Northeast
Workshops will benefit advisers in all agricultural fields.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa – Managing employees today is very challenging for agricultural producers and for the consultants who advise them. To help consultants build their HR skills, Penn State and Cornell universities have created a training program in human resource management specifically for agricultural advisers and educators. This training will give advisers the human resource tools they need to help producers more effectively manage their most important resource – their employees.
“Managing employees positively and properly can make a big difference in their performance and the success of the dairy. People capital and performance is an important investment that a dairy needs to care for and develop,” notes Andrew C. Terrell, account executive, MidAtlantic Farm Credit, Lancaster, Pa., who attended the workshop last year.
Called “People in Ag: A Professional Development Series in Human Resource Management for Agricultural Advisers,” the program is applicable to advisers and educators in all fields of agriculture. It will be offered at three sites in the Northeast: December 6-7, 2007, Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center, Burlington, Vt.; April 16-17, 2008, Ramada Inn and Conference Center, State College, Pa.; and April 23-24, 2008, Comfort Suites, Clinton Park, NY.
The program will be led by three experts in the field of human resource management who have provided training throughout the United States and internationally. They are Dr. Richard Stup, human resource management specialist, Penn State Dairy Alliance; Thomas Maloney, senior extension associate, Department of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University; and Jorge Estrada, president, Leadership Coaching International.
Agricultural producers need information about human resource management, but many educators and advisers don’t feel comfortable addressing human resource management issues. “This program provides educators, consultants, state employees, veterinarians, and other advisers in all fields of agriculture the professional development opportunity they need to put some HR tools in their toolbox,” explained Dr. Stup.
The program features a one-day seminar followed by a half-day tour of a production operation displaying best practices in human resource management. In coming months, follow-up discussion groups will form online to provide more information and support via web-based learning. This three-step learning process enables advisers to acquire new skills, see them in action on-farm, and then build on their knowledge through future support sessions.
The program agenda includes sessions on employee training and development, immigration, conflict management, performance feedback, leadership, and job design. Tour sites are: Mazza’s Farmstand in Vermont, Way Fruit Farm in Pennsylvania, and Saratoga Sod Farm in New York. “Business and agribusiness schools talk about creating a vision and communicating to every member of the organization, but too frequently advisers like me never see it implemented. On the farms that do, they see the results long-term: effective employees that are satisfied with their work,” observes Joel Stauring, agricultural finance specialist, Dehm Associates, LLC, Geneseo, N.Y., who attended the workshop last year.
An advantage to attending the program is eligibility to participate in follow-up discussions with peers. The discussion group meets regularly, via the web, to share experiences and receive information on current human resource management practices. Past topics have included how to: recruit and select qualified employees, write effective job descriptions, organize the workplace to support employee performance, and develop cross-cultural understanding among diverse employees.
A grant from the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education organization provides a reduced registration fee for participants. The cost is $85 per person, which includes workshop materials, lunch, and dinner on Day 1, plus the tour and lunch on Day 2. Participants who wish to skip the tour may attend Day 1 only at a fee of $55 per person; dinner is not included.
A complete agenda and additional program details are available at http://dairyalliance.psu.edu/education/people-in-ag/ Register online with a credit card at the website, or call the Dairy Alliance office toll-free at 888-373-7232.
