Completed Project Report


In-laws to labor laws: Helping farmers manage human relationships to improve farm viability

  • Award Amount: $25,108
  • Regional Center: Northeast Extension Risk Management Education Center
  • Grant Program: 2013 Unrestricted Risk Management Education
  • Project Director: Kelly Coleman
  • Email: kelly@buylocalfood.org
  • Organization: Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture

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Project Overview

This project addressed issues of labor management and human capital to help farmers identify labor risks and provide them with strategies to improve communications with employees, farm partners, and family labor. Many of the farmers in our region are beginning, small,or specialty crop producers. 42 producers participated in the workshops. Workshop topics included basics of hiring and training staff, including health and safety issues; labor laws; managing and motivating people; and mediating inter employee or family disputes. Upon completion, farmers will understand labor-related risks, labor law, their personal strengths and weaknesses as a manager, and strategies for human resource management and they will have new tools for hiring and managing workers, mediating interpersonal conflicts and maintaining good boundaries between business and personal roles. Workshop lessons were also adapted and made available to an additional 56 farmers on-line.

Number of Participants: 98

Outcomes

Project Steps

PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

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EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

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REPORTS & EVALUATIONS

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DELIVERY AREA

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