Cultivating Best Human Resource Practices on Small and Mid-scale Farms

Are you thinking about hiring staff for your farm for the very first time?

Are you looking for advice and support on how to train and manage your staff this growing season?

Join us for a series of five 2-hour free online HR training modules, where our team of agricultural HR experts will provide a crash course on best management practices. Join for one session, or for all!

The five sessions will cover:

(1) Farm Finances: Grants, Loans, and Financial Tools – Monday, January 26, 7pm

Is there a government or non-profit grant, loan, or financial tool to help support your business, protect your property's natural heritage, or help you meet your HR needs? Learn about a variety of financial supports and receive grant writing tips from our experts!

Featuring:

• Jacqueline Dwyer, Toronto Black Farmers & Growers Collective
• Fianna Dirks, It's Giving Farm
• Tina Gokstorp, Good Food Farms

This session is funded in part by the Governments of Canada and Ontario under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

Pollinating Diversity: Overcoming Financial Barriers for Underrepresented Farmers is a new NFU-O project aimed at supporting equity-deserving and underrepresented farmers to navigate applications for grants, loans, insurance programs, and public land rentals.

(2) Hiring and Incentives – Monday, February 2, 7pm

Find out how to hire effectively! This session will include a discussion on deciding what type of employees will work best for you, how to develop a job description and interview questions, job advertising options, and building an incentives package.

Featuring:

• Amy Kitchen, Sideroad Farm
• Tara Hamilton, La Belle Vie Farm

(3) HR Fundamentals – Monday, February 9, 7pm

Scared of the paperwork? Not anymore! Learn about employment standards and legislation, health and safety and WSIB requirements; payroll and wages, grants and cost-share programs, and other general logistics.

Featuring:

• Marcelle Paulin, Sleepy G Farm
• Kelly Pritchard, Pfenning's Organic Farms
• Francis Pineda, Prevention Link

(4) Interpersonal Dynamics, Training, & Retention – Wednesday, February 18, 7pm

Want to create a friendly and co-operative work environment? You’ve come to the right place! Experts will share employee handbook and orientation designs, training and development tips, equity and discrimination policies, stress and wellbeing measures, staff retention strategies, and more.

Featuring:

• Luke Sheldrick, Terramor Farm
• TBA

(5) Planning, Task Management, & Delegation –Monday, February 23, 7pm

Being a good manager means staying organized! Learn successful time-tracking, strategic management and planning tips. Explore a variety of staff management approaches and how to motivate and evaluate staff. Learn how you can support employee routes to equity, co-ops, and/or other partnership.

Featuring:

• Renée Primeau, Tourne-Sol Co-op
• Jasmine Bustard, Common Ground Farm

In addition to hearing from our expert panelists, participants will receive a variety of HR materials, including:

• Job advertising and recruitment method tips
• How-to-write job descriptions
• Employee handbooks and orientation templates
• Payroll and wage templates
• Scheduling and time-tracking templates
• Grants and cost-sharing tips
• And more!

If you have any questions, please contact:

Lara Jerome

email: lara@nfuontario.ca

This project is hosted in partnership with the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario.