The mission of the Farm Human Resource Management program is to help participants acquire the knowledge and skills needed to recruit, motivate, and retain quality people. The objective is to provide the groundwork for agricultural producers to become better and more effective human resource managers through the application of best practices.
Extension staff provides programs, workshops, resources, and information for farms, farm managers, farm families, and consultants working on improving farm human resource management.
Are you struggling to attract and maintain talented employees? Becoming the employer of choice is a four-week course mixing self-study with instructor-led discussion groups for farm managers looking to improve their farm’s employee engagement.
Culture—whether of an individual or an organization—is an important but often challenging concept to grasp. Farm business culture relates to the values, goals, beliefs, and way things are done on the farm – communication, how work is accomplished, how achievements are celebrated.
Many employers think people are motivated to work for reasons of pay. Research on self-determination theory and work motivation tells us that humans are motivated not simply by material possession, but also by enjoyment and meaning that our actions bring us.
Each summer, dairy farm producers and their employees work through days of extreme heat and humidity – often starting in May or June and continuing into September. While we certainly need to protect our dairy cattle during these hot days, it is also an important time to be conscious of how to protect ourselves and our dairy farm workers during summer heat.
For the year 2017, the total number of farm employees in Wisconsin (including crop, horticulture, and livestock farms) was just above 24,000. This estimate comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) which gathers data on all employees covered by state unemployment insurance(UI)1. In comparison, only 16,507 farm employee were reported in 2007. This represents […]
When considering major changes in production technology such as the adoption of automated milking systems (AMS), identifying and quantifying the main costs and benefits is a crucial part of the planning process. Most dairy producers expect some labor savings from AMS adoption, and for some it might be the main motivation. But exactly how much […]
Like any business, farms depend on good employees for things to run smoothly. When you have a vacancy on your team, structure your interviews so that you can hire the best available employee. Make sure you prepare for interviews in advance, and allow yourself enough time to consider each individual carefully.
Job descriptions add clarity to farm tasks and procedures, helping to avoid confusion and potential disagreements about the work at hand, and delineating who is responsible for those tasks. This can also improve working relationships and keep things running smoothly for all employees, including family members working on the farm.
