Dairy Alliance

April 16-17, 2008
Ramada Inn and Conference Center
1450 S. Atherton St., State College, PA
Tour site: Way Fruit Farm
Way Fruit Farm has 50 acres of apple trees and 50 acres of other crops. Their workforce varies from five year-round employees up to 18 people in peak harvest season. Products are marketed both wholesale and retail and the business is very active in the community with public events and children's tours. To learn more, visit this website.

April 23-24, 2008
Comfort Suites
7 Northside Drive, Clifton Park, NY
Tour site: Saratoga Sod Farm
Owners Steve and Laurie Griffen manage a multicultural team totaling 20 people at the peak of the season. They currently have 700 acres in turfgrass sod production. To learn more, visit their website.

Hours: Day 1: 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.;  Day 2: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

 

Fee:

Option 1 - Day 1 & 2;  $85 per person
Includes workshop, lunch and dinner on Day 1, plus tour and lunch on Day 2. (Overnight accommodations not included.)

Option 2 - Day 1 only;  $55 per person
Includes workshop and lunch on Day 1 only

 

About the Program:

Program Brochure

Program Agenda

Producers need information about human resource management, however, many educators and advisers don’t have a basic understanding of HR principles. This program provides educators, lenders, state employees, veterinarians, and other advisers in all fields of agriculture the professional development opportunity they need to put some HR tools in their toolbox.

 

Program benefits:

This one-day workshop is followed by a half-day tour of a production operation that displays best practices in human resource management. Then, in coming months, follow-up discussion groups will form to provide more information and support via conference calls and web-based seminars.

 

Instructors:

• Richard Stup, human resource management specialist,  Dairy Alliance
• Thomas Maloney, senior extension associate, Department of  Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University
• Jorge Estrada, president, Leadership Coaching International
  

Program Topics:

Training and Development (Richard Stup)
Training and development opportunities are essential for organizations to keep pace with change. Advisors can play an important role, not only in directly providing training to farm employees, but also in helping the farm to design effective, ongoing, internal training programs.

Immigration (Thomas Maloney)
The battle over the immigrant workforce is likely to have a profound effect on the future of agriculture in the United States. This part of the People in Ag program is designed to keep advisors and educators informed about the latest developments in this area.

Conflict Management (Jorge Estrada)
Some conflict is good and some is bad. Advisors and educators are often asked to help when conflict is causing a business problem. The workshop will equip you with tools to help a business resolve conflict effectively and learn new tools for harnessing conflict for its productive potential.

Performance Feedback (Jorge Estrada and Thomas Maloney)
Without performance feedback employees don't know whether they are moving forward, backward, or simply standing still. Feedback is the most important job for a supervisor. Learn how to help your clients develop feedback skills and systems that will keep employees informed and working together to achieve your goals.

Leadership (Jorge Estrada and Richard Stup)
Farm managers are often so busy with details that they lose sight of the big picture. It takes a conscious leadership effort to keep a business moving toward worthwhile goals. But leadership is not a simple task, it takes different approaches for different people and situations. This workshop will help you develop a useful approach to leadership that you can apply and transfer to your clients.

Job Design (Thomas Maloney)
The agricultural workforce is changing. Businesses that rely on a ready supply of strong, young workers for brute labor are going to find themselves unable to operate. Job design is an old concept that is more relevant today than ever. It's about creating jobs that people can perform and even enjoy. Well-designed jobs protect employee health, are profitable for the business, and can be filled with the available workforce. Start changing your thinking about what farm work can be.

Adviser feedback about this program:

“We as an industry have fine-tuned and well researched information in genetics, nutrition, health and many of the sciences. The arena of human resources is an area of great growth and potential as our farms evolve as businesses.”  - Jeffrey D. Myers, county extension director, Penn State Cooperative Extension in York County

 
“Managing employees positively and properly can make a big difference in their performance and the success of the dairy. People capital and performance is an important investment that a dairy needs to care for and develop.” - Andrew C. Terrell, account executive, MidAtlantic Farm Credit

 
“Business and agribusiness schools talk about creating a vision and communicating to every member of the organization, but too frequently advisers like me never see it implemented. On the farms that do, they see the results long term: effective employees that are satisfied with their work.” - Joel Stauring, agricultural finance specialist, Dehm Associates, LLC, Geneseo, NY

Registration:

Register online with your credit card
Or complete a registration form and fax or mail it to the Dairy Alliance office.

NOTE TO PENN STATE EXTENSION EDUCATORS:  If you are applying for the training scholarship, please call the Dairy Alliance office at 888-373-7232 to register. Do not register online.

Overnight Accommodations:

Ramada Inn and Conference Center

1450 S. Atherton St., State College, PA
A limited number of rooms has been reserved for April 15 and April 16, at the rate of $68.00 plus tax per night. To make reservations, call 814-238-3001 prior to March 15. Ask for the Penn State Dairy Alliance room block to receive this special rate.

Comfort Suites
7 Northside Drive, Clifton Park, NY
A limited number of rooms has been reserved for April 22 and April 23, at the rate of $92.00 plus tax per night. To make reservations, call 518-373-2255 prior to April 7. Ask for the Penn State Dairy Alliance room block to receive this special rate.

For more information:

Email askdairyalliance@psu.edu
Phone toll-free 888-373-7232