Workforce Development

Your workforce is at the heart of your farming business and a key to its success. Use Penn State Extension’s extensive resources to help you build a strong team. Register you and your team for the various training and certification courses for farm and green industry professionals.

Ag Business Workforce Development

A competitive workforce is vital for the future of agriculture businesses. Innovation is having a massive impact on the industry. Current and future farm workers must have every opportunity to learn about these more advanced technologies and meet the organization's changing demands.

One of the biggest concerns for many farm employers is recruiting and retaining key personnel. You can minimize the risk with a good recruitment and selection process.

A good employee can be a valuable asset for your business, and you must do what you can do to retain them. Meeting their needs includes providing opportunities for them to grow and allowing flexibility in their work schedule when possible.

Keeping your workforce motivated also has a part to play. Being able to communicate in a language they are familiar with increases employee retention and performance. Communication is, after all, one of the most fundamental skills necessary for the workplace.

Teamwork plays a critical role in business. But for the team to be effective, it has to have the right people in the correct roles. Of course, the most critical roles are team leaders. Make the best of Penn State Extension resources on identifying the right team leaders. A good leader helps the team keep its focus, enhances communication, directs team meetings, improves morale, and helps manage conflict.

Training and Certification Resources

Penn State Extension offers a wide range of training and certification courses for farm and green industry professionals. Here are a few examples:

• Produce Grower Certification Training: Learn about the Food Safety Modernization Act, Produce Safety Rule, Good Agricultural Practices, and more.
• Food Safety Certification Exam Preparation: A live webinar that helps you prepare for the ServSafe®️ Food Management Certification exam.
• TAP Online Food Safety Manager Certification course: A course that prepares you for the Food Protection Manager exam.
• Preventive Controls for Human Foods Certification: The workshop provides certification in compliance with FDA requirements for developing and implementing HACCP-based systems.
• Pennsylvania Pesticide Applicator Certification: Certification is required if you want to use restricted-use pesticides or fumigants in Pennsylvania.
• Basic training for landscape industry workforce: This course is aimed at new and seasonal landscape industry employees. It covers pruning basics, planting, mulching, watering, symptoms and signs of plant health, and an introduction to soils.
• Organic certification: Tips and other useful information are also available if you’re considering organic farming.

In this section, find resources on how to onboard, train, and empower your agricultural business team to achieve more.