Extension’s new Farm Management Outreach Specialist to focus on farm labor, employee safety & health

University of Wisconsin Madison Division of Extension is pleased to announce Jim Versweyveld as the new Extension Farm Management Outreach Specialist. The Farm Management Outreach Specialist position is a new, exciting position in the UW-Madison Division of Extension. This position will provide outreach and education to agricultural producers in the areas of farm labor management, owner/employee development, leadership skills and farm safety. Wisconsin’s farm businesses continue to grow in size and complexity, as do their workforces continue to grow and change. The coronavirus has exacerbated a competative labor market for Wisconsin’s farms with increased risks for an already vulnerable farm workforce.

With these new challenges comes an increased need for farm managers and owners to build leadership skills including setting a positive, healthy business culture. Successfully leading and managing employees is a critical skill. Farms that embody a positive workplace culture with best practices in human resource management while balancing workload demands with employee safety and health will leverage competitive advantage and maintain business continuity during the pandemic, a tight labor market, and beyond.

Part of the Agriculture Institute’s Farm Management Program, this position will emphasize:

Leadership and organizational development principles, practices, methods and process to improve farm employee engagement and retention, and business productivity
Techniques to develop a workplace culture that supports and promotes farm employee safety, health, and well-being.
New and emerging human resource issues that present a risk to and opportunities for farm businesses and related agricultural businesses.
Cultivating safety for youth on farms, including safe operation of tractors and related machinery.

Jim Versweyveld has been integral to the Farm Management Program since joining Extension three years ago. His contributions to the Program plan of work help build valuable programming in the area of farm labor and employee safety & health. While Jim has enjoyed his role as Agriculture Extension Educator for Walworth County, working as a Farm Management Outreach Specialist will best use his skills and 20+ years of experience in the field of human resources and occupational safety, to achieve the farm HR and employee safety & health outcomes the Farm Management Program has identified.

Jim started his new role on November 8^th. His office is located at the Jefferson County Extension building 864 Collins Road, Jefferson WI. Please feel free to contact Jim, via email at jim.versweyveld@wisc.edu or phone 920-342-3180. Learn more about human resource management and Jim’s work here: https://farms.extension.wisc.edu/article-topic/human-resources/ Learn more about Jim Versweyveld and the Farm Management Program: https://farms.extension.wisc.edu/people/