Onboarding Webinar Series for Farm Employers
The three-session Onboarding Zoom Series focuses on navigating employment requirements and improving human resource management practices, including enhancing training skills.
In the webinar series, the Cornell Agricultural Workforce team will share how to use onboarding materials, methods and templates. Established tools, including templates, training documentation, resources for employee records, and worksheets, are posted online at agworkforce.cals.cornell.edu. The series covers how to navigate employment requirements and improve human resource management practices, including enhancing training skills. Each webinar includes a 20-minute presentation, followed by 15 to 20 minute breakout sessions, and finishes with a 15-minute general Q&A session.
Onboarding Series Flyer (PDF; 230KB)
Event Details
Date
January 21, 2022
February 4, 2022
February 18, 2022
Time
11am - 12pm
Location
Virtual meeting
Cost
Free Registration : Free
Host
CCE Agricultural Workforce Development
agworkforce.cals.cornell.edu/
Richard Stup
607-255-7890
email Richard Stup

Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development is offering two one-hour three-session Onboarding Webinar Series via Zoom that target farm employers and the educators and consultants who support them. Registration is free, but required. The same content will be offered at both series.
The first series will be held from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM on December 8 and 22, and January 5. Register for this series at tinyurl.com/AWOnboarding2021. The second series will be held from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM on January 21, and February 4 and 18. Register for this series at tinyurl.com/AWOnboarding2022.
The first days and weeks on the job set the course for a new farm employee. Given the tight labor market, a successful onboarding program can be an essential tool to help reduce employee turnover, increase employee safety and productivity, and contribute to a farm's success.
"A successful onboarding process begins with a well-planned orientation, training and compliance, and leads to improvements that benefit both the manager and employees throughout the relationship," said Dr. Richard Stup, Cornell Agricultural Workforce Specialist.
The three-session Onboarding Zoom Series focuses on navigating employment requirements and improving human resource management practices, including enhancing training skills.
In the webinar series, the Cornell Agricultural Workforce team will share how to use onboarding materials, methods and templates. Established tools, including templates, training documentation, resources for employee records, and worksheets, are posted online at agworkforce.cals.cornell.edu. The series covers how to navigate employment requirements and improve human resource management practices, including enhancing training skills. Each webinar includes a 20-minute presentation, followed by 15 to 20 minute breakout sessions, and finishes with a 15-minute general Q&A session.
Assigned "homework" between each session, completed with the support of a CCE educator or consultant, ensures participants exit the series with a personalized onboarding template, onboarding materials, trainings, and methods.
To sign up for this or future Onboarding projects, contact Lucas Smith (ls678@cornell.edu), Ag Workforce Development, or your local Cornell Cooperative Extension educator. Visit agworkforce.cals.cornell.edu/onboarding-webinar-series for more information about the webinar series. Visit agworkforce.cals.cornell.edu/onboarding/for more information about onboarding.
Successful projects have a staff member who focuses on HR a few hours each week.
A planned onboarding with orientation and training ensures compliance with basic regulations and policies; provides clarification on work procedures and expectations, and offers safety training; establishes a workplace culture based on values, philosophies and traditions; and creates connected relationships at work that allow employees to engage and thrive.
Benefits for Farms
- Ensures compliance with basic regulations and policies.
- Provides clarification on work procedures and expectations, which results in better employee performance and safety.
- Establishes a workplace culture based on values, philosophies and traditions.
- Creates connected relationships at work that allow employees to engage and thrive.
- Increases employee commitment and reduces turnover.
- Provides accessible and realistic support for farm onboarding, even when labor and time are in short supply.
Farmer Recommended
- "Participate. It makes the process better for both employer and employee. It improves compliance, safety, performance, and morale."
- "It helps keep hiring organized and gives a sense of professionalism."
- "It organized and standardized our system of. We are now more in compliance than ever. This made me so much more confident as I go through the new hire process with employees. I got major bonus points on my FARM evaluation for the new employee training with my google classroom that I have set up!"
Upcoming Events
Equipment Safety and Maintenance Workshop - SPANISH
November 14, 2023
Locke, NY
Skid Steer & Tractor Operation & Maintenance
Winter Operation & Considerations
Safety Demonstrations provided by NYCAMH
Workshop in both English & Spanish!
Equipment Safety and Maintenance Workshop - ENGLISH
November 14, 2023
Locke, NY
Join us for Skid Steer & Tractor Operation & Maintenance
Winter Operation & Considerations Safety Demonstrations provided by NYCAMH
Workshop in both English & Spanish! Register here for the English offering.
Announcements
NYS Climate Action Council Draft Scoping Plan
The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) was signed into law in 2019 as one of the most ambitious climate laws in the world. The law created the Climate Action Council (the Council), which is tasked with developing a draft scoping plan that serves as an initial framework for how the State will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve net-zero emissions, increase renewable energy usage, and ensure climate justice. On December 20, the Council voted to release the draft scoping plan for public comment. January 1, 2022 marks the beginning of a 120-day public comment period to receive feedback from the public as the Council works to develop and release a final scoping plan by the end of 2022. Read the Draft Scoping Plan [PDF] including the entire document with appendices. https://climate.ny.gov/Our-Climate-Act/Draft-Scoping-PlanFrom Our Team to Yours: COVID-19 Resources for Dairy Farmers
Regional Team Operations During COVID-19
Click here for an operations update.Dairy Acceleration Program Funds Available
- organization of financial records/benchmarking up to $1,000
- continued business planning (for farms awarded in a previous year) up to $2,500
- business planning up to $5,000
HEMP GROWER'S EXCHANGE BOARD
2018 Drug Residue Prevention Manual
For more than 30 years, the U.S. dairy industry has focused educational efforts on the judicious use of antibiotics through the annual publication of a Best Practices Manual. The 2018 edition of the National Dairy FARM Program: Farmers Assuring Responsible Management? Milk and Dairy Beef Drug Residue Prevention Manual is the primary educational tool for dairy farm managers throughout the country on the judicious and responsible use of antibiotics, including avoidance of drug residues in milk and meat.The manual is a quick resource to review those antibiotics approved for dairy animals and can also be used as an educational tool and resource for farm managers as they develop on-farm best management practices necessary to avoid milk and meat residues. Visit the Manual and Form Library to download copies of this important tool!
Follow us on Facebook
The team updates our facebook page frequently - follow us to be updated on our events, see some fun videos and get local area updates!facebook.com/SCNYDairyandFieldCropsTeam
Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship
ProDairy Forage Management
Are you prepared to change your routine this spring?While spring tasks vary by farm, there are many "rites of spring," and they are often completed in a fairly rigid sequence. Depending on the farm, these often include fixing fence, spreading manure, planting new seedings, planting corn and harvesting first cutting, and are often performed in this order.
We are optimistic that the upcoming turn in weather will allow these task to be accomplished in a timely manner, but at this point it is time to ask yourself: Are you willing to change your spring routine?
In addition to adverse weather it is no secret that everyone is facing extremely tight economic times, and dealing with forage inventories of poor digestibility forages from 2017. This combination of factors makes it more critical than ever to be ready to tackle the task that will have the most impact on your business at the proper time.
Recent reference articles on dealing with tough times:
• Key Opportunities to Optimize 2018 Crop Production Efficiency
• Resources for Dealing with Spring Weather Delays
First Cutting
The number one focus should be on timely harvest of first cutting.
• Park the corn planter when a field of first cutting is ready for harvest.
o Monitoring 1st cut harvest timing
• Approach harvest by the acre, not by the field. Be ready to skip over a field that has passed its optimum harvest stage.
o Dynamic Harvest Schedules
• Strategically plan feed storage to best utilize forage inventories for the right group of animals.
o Strategic Forage Storage Planning
o When More is Better
Corn Planting
The window for planting for silage is generally wider than for grain, which is why first cutting can and should take priority over corn planting. However, in the event of extreme delays in planting corn, performance will diminish with late plantings. If corn planting progresses into late May or early June, begin to consider alternative options for those acres. Previous research from Cornell and Penn State suggest a 0.5 to 1 ton/acre per week decline in silage yield for planting after mid to late May.
Multi-Tasking
First and foremost during a time of year that can be very busy and stressful, taking every precaution to keep your team safe is critical.
The idea of fitting all of this work into a condensed time period, and still getting key tasks completed before critical deadlines can seem impossible, but year after year many find unique ways to get it all done. Consider working with neighbors, custom operators or renting equipment to accomplish these key tasks on time.
If you currently utilize custom operators, now is a good time to set up a time to meet with them and make sure you are on the same page to get tasks accomplished in the time-frame needed. Make sure that your expectations and goals are clearly defined. They will also be under stress to fit their work into a condensed period and meet their customers' expectations, so defining expectations and pre-planning how to most efficiently get the work accomplished when the custom operator arrives can go a long way to increase the chances for success.
NYSERDA Agriculture Energy Audit Program
NYSERDA offers energy audits to help eligible farms and on-farm producers identify ways to save energy and money on utility bills. Reports include recommendations for energy efficiency measures.For more information and the NYSERDA Agriculture Energy Audit Program Application click here