Labor Ready Resources

Update: The Labor Ready Project is no longer active. To see the most recent and up-to-date information, please visit the Futuro home page.

A great leader possess a deep understanding of technical knowledge, great communication skills, and most importantly, people skills.

Leading and managing people is a skill that takes practice.  The Labor Ready resources listed below are a collection of materials to support agricultural managers and employees looking to cultivate efficient work teams with outstanding leadership.

Articles and Updates

CCE Ag Labor Newsletter

Subscribe to the Cornell Cooperative Extension Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Team’s e-newsletter to receive information about upcoming trainings, presentations, webinars, and additional information and resources to help farm employers and mangers improve their skills.

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Making the Leap to Owner-Operator: Are You Labor Ready?

Deciding to start a farm can present a multitude of challenges. While the question “who is going to do all of the work on the farm?” is usually on that short list of things that keep aspiring farmers up at night, it is much less common for new growers to ask themselves “do I have the tools and experience necessary to be an effective manager of farm employees?”

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Supervising Seasonal and Temporary Workers: Special Considerations

How can I expect to keep my crew year after year when I can’t offer them year-round work? Though there is certainly some truth in those statements, it is also the case that some farms have found ways to improve labor management and create incentives for workers to stick around for many years that don’t have to cost the business a lot of time or money.

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Videos and Webinars

Good to Great: The 20 Minute Manager

Wages, salaries, and contract labor expenses represent more than 40 percent of the cost of production in labor intensive crops like fruits, vegetables, and nursery products. Cornell Cooperative Extension has a webinar series, "The 20 Minute Manager," which covers training, retaining, and working with employees within a farm business.

The Labor Ready Farmer Video Playlist (En español with English subtitles)

A series of four Labor Ready Farmer videos are now available to share the advice of individuals who have climbed the ladder from laborer to management or owner.