Good decision-making around the type and amount of labor needed on a farm enhances the farm household’s quality of life and increases the likelihood farmers will successfully meet their financial goals. This site provides tools and strategies to help small and medium-sized fruit and vegetable farms make informed labor decisions.

Events

  • Evaluating Return on Capital Investments

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    Join this upcoming online session to learn how a new, online decision-support tool can help farmers and their business advisors develop careful projections of how long it will take to recover the cost of purchasing new equipment through increased labor efficiency. Presenter John Hendrickson will also demonstrate how to The Equipment Cost Recovery Calculator's labor module to estimate how the investment will affect labor needs. The session will include ample time for Q&A. Free, but advance registration is required.

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  • Becoming the Employer of Choice for Vegetable Farmers

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    Becoming the Employer of Choice for Vegetable Farmers is an eight-session educational series designed to help farmers gain knowledge and skills to lead and manage teams in ways that improve production efficiency, product quality, employee satisfaction, labor retention and quality of life. The course is designed for farmers serving in an employer or manager role. Advance registration is required.

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  • Women Farmers Aging Strong: Balance

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    Women Farmers Aging Strong is a farmer-led, monthly online series for information, support and resource sharing to help farmers preserve and protect our most important farming tool...ourselves. This session focuses on increasing physical stability & improving farm/life balance.

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Explore Resources

  • Conflict Resolution Guidelines: A Quick Guide

    It is critical to the smooth workings of a farm that the people who work there take the time to resolve conflicts in a respectful way. Work to resolve conflicts in ways that contribute to the health and harmony of the entire farm community with this 3-step guide.

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  • Equipment Cost Recovery Calculator

    The Equipment Cost Recovery Calculator is a spreadsheet-based workbook that helps estimate the time it will take to recover the cost of purchasing new equipment through increased labor efficiency (labor cost savings). It was developed by the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems at the University of Wisconsin.

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  • Workers' Compensation & Farm Businesses

    This document is an FAQ-style bulletin that helps farm business managers estimate the cost of workers' compensation for financial and business planning. It covers requirements, cost factors, and steps to obtain workers' compensation coverage. It was written by Rachel Armstrong of Farm Commons and last updated July 2024.

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  • Demystifying the H2A Program (article & podcast)

    The United States H-2A "guestworker" visa program allows farmers to hire workers from other countries to fill temporary/seasonal positions when local workers aren't available. Growing For Market has covered the H-2A program in both a 2021 online article and a 2023 podcast episode, offering first-hand perspectives and useful information to consider when deciding if the H-2A program could be a good fit for your operation.

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  • Your Role as an Employee Manager

    Use this Assessing Personnel Management Skills checklist to consider the various aspects of being a successful human resources manager and identify areas to work on developing knowledge and skills. (Developed by Iowa State University Extension & Outreach)

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