Employees at a grape pruning workshop.
Ag Labor Management
Labor is probably one of the largest expenses on your farm. How good a job do you do managing it?
Because we know farmers and employees face a maze of often confusing federal, state and local laws and regulations. Cornell University and Cornell Cooperative Extension offer several programs to help farm owners, farm managers and farmworkers with issues in the workplace and to help develop stronger human resource management skills.
The Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development Program provides resources and information to farmers in Human Resource Management and leadership development. The program is led by Dr. Richard Stup rstup@cornell.edu or (607) 255-7890. Dr. Stup's website is a resource for HR management on farms.
The Cornell Farmworker Program is dedicated to improving the living and working conditions of farmworkers and their families. Contact Mary Jo Dudley, Director, (607) 254-5194 or farmworkers@cornell.edu.The program's webpage has resources in English and Spanish.
A new project at Cornell, the Labor Ready Farmer is a collaboration of Cornell Small Farms Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Cornell Farmworker Program and GrowNYC. The “Labor Ready Farmer” (LRF) is a grant-funded project that offers a team-based approach to addressing the challenges of managing and retaining employees by building HR management skills of new farmers and Latino agricultural employees wanting to climb the ladder from labor to management. See the project's website for more information and upcoming programs and workshops.
Labor Ready Farmer Videos - Hear from former farmworkers in New York who have made the move to farm management or ownership.
20 Minute Ag Manager Videos - Good to Great in Ag Labor Management. Short videos covering Human Resource Management basics for farmers.
Last updated November 20, 2023
Resources for Farm Employers and Employees in New York
NYS Department of Labor Ag Labor Program - provides assistance to farm employers in navigating DOL regulations and employment issues on their farm. The specialists do not have enforcement responsibilities, but rather are in an advisory role.
New York Center for Ag Medicine and Health (NYCAMH)- offers health and safety trainings, on farm safety surveys to assess potential hazards on the farm and grants to help implement needed safety improvements.
The New York State Agricultural Mediation Program (NYSAMP) provides the agricultural community with the opportunity to communicate clearly and negotiate effectively in order to find fair and workable solutions to challenges they face.
Farm Net- Provides farm business management assistance to farmers, which can include issues with labor management.
Farmworker Service Directory
The Cornell Farmworker Program has developed a new statewide directory of resources, in English and Spanish, for farmworkers and immigrants, organized by county and by service.
