IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LABOR MANAGEMENT DECISIONS FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED FARM OPERATORS

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: TERMINATED
• Funding Source: AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1002729
• Grant No.: 2014-68006-21873
• Project No.: VT11401786
• Proposal No.: 2013-04764
• Program Code: A1601
• Project Start Date: Apr 1, 2014
• Project End Date: Mar 31, 2019
• Grant Year: 2014

Project Director
Peabody, M. L.

Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT
(N/A)
BURLINGTON,VT 05405

Performing Department
Extension

Non Technical Summary
Meeting the needs of farmers and consumers to satisfy the growing demand for local food creates opportunities for farmers to scale-up their operations. Labor is one of the prominent yet under-examined issues limiting farms from scaling-up their production to supply these emerging markets. This project examines relationships between household needs, farm structure, and market forces to understand how farmers can better anticipate the amount and type of labor needed to attain their goals. Using qualitative and quantitative methods the team will examine small and medium-sized farm household perceptions and goals for their farm and learn how these expectations relate to existing farm structure, management style and market channels, development stage of the farm, and life stage of the family.Working with communities of growers, researchers, and extension educators we will research indicators farmers identify as important in decision-making regarding labor needs.We will use that information to develop an innovative decision-support dashboard to assist farmers in addressing their labor needs. Increasing farmer confidence in the type and amount of labor needed enhances the farm household's quality of life and increases the likelihood farmers will successfully scale their businesses to more sustainable levels.The dashboard will be developed in collaboration with the eXtension Entrepreneurs and Their Communities team and housed on their website. Supplemental materials such as user guides and links to existing labor management educational materials will also be housed on the website.

Animal Health Component

0%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

80%

Developmental

20%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
601	6030	3100	100%

Knowledge Area
601 - Economics of Agricultural Production and Farm Management;

Subject Of Investigation
6030 - The farm as an enterprise;

Field Of Science
3100 - Management;

Keywords

decision-making

farm labor

labor

small farm

Goals / Objectives
GoalsThe long-term societal change we seek is to enhance the stability of local/regional food systems by increasing the production capacity of our small and midsized farms. This will be accomplished by developing new tools that guide farmers through a strategic, practical assessment of their farm's labor needs. This is consistent with USDA REE Action Plan Goals 1) Local and Global Food Supply and Security, and 7) Rural-Urban Interdependence and Prosperity.The goal of the research team is to identify the relationships among farm labor decision-making, profitability, household dynamics (goals, needs and demographics), optimal ratio of labor to types of enterprises and scale of production, and maintenance or enhancement of quality of life on small and midsize farms. Based on previous research and literature, we expect that household dynamics such as the number of household members, ratio of workers to dependents, and the age of members, will influence the needs of the household, shape the goals of the farmers for their farm, and provide the indicators that are key to aligning labor needs with other enterprise demands to scale their farm business to a sustainable size. This set of key indicators will guide the development of a decision-support dashboard that farmers and extension educators can use in farm labor planning.The goal of the extension team is to translate the indicators resulting from the research into a decision-support dashboard that provides feedback on the economic and social considerations of farm labor needs based on the unique circumstances of the farm household. This dashboard will be housed on the eXtension website along with educational materials on how to use the tool and interpret the results. A decision-support dashboard is a tool used increasingly in business decision-making. It consists of data visualization tools like charts, graphs, gauges and maps that organize information so that it is easy for the user to read and interpret. Dashboards are commonly used to provide up-to-date status information on selected performance indicators. The key to successful dashboards is that information is simply presented, easy to monitor, and indicates where action needs to be taken. Farmers will be able to select from a range of indicators, social and economic, generating a customized dashboard of three to five indicators, when viewed in combination, provide information needed to make informed decisions. The dashboard will include user guides on how to select the most appropriate indicators and how to enter data for their business and interpret the results. Links to existing education and training materials related to labor management functions will be provided along with webinar recordings and workshop materials so farmers can use the dashboard as a catalyst for learning more about labor management. Extension educators can select from the available materials to custom-design workshops and learning modules that best fit their needs.Supporting ObjectivesThis integrated project has five objectives, two research objectives, one combined objective, and two extension objectives.Research Objective 1. Identify micro-, small- and mid-size farm household perceptions, values and goals for their farm and learn how these expectations relate to and are influenced by existing farm structure (i.e. land, number of enterprises, scale, labor and equipment), management style, market channels (e.g. direct, retail, wholesale), development stage of the farm (aspiring, start-up, post start-up, established), and life stage of the family.Research Objective 2. Conduct a qualitative and quantitative analysis of farm resources and labor.Research/Extension Objective 3. Develop a typology of farms based on scale, scope (number and type of enterprises), and labor needs to identify a range of key indicators that can be combined to assist farmers and educators working with farmers identify and fulfill their unique labor management planning.Extension Objective 4. Develop and test a set of decision-support tools (collectively known as a dashboard) that guide small and midsize farm operators through labor-related decisions in a way that gives weight to both the economic and quality of life considerations.Extension Objective 5. Develop training materials and curricula on how to use the decision-support tools and how to translate the results into action in the form of a farm management strategy and supplement these tools with existing farm labor support materials.

Project Methods
Methods by Objective -Objective 1. Three phases of data collection will be used. Phase one will use a focus group, or moderated workshop session in which attendees as experts will offer their perceptions of small and medium farm expansion, building a synthesis of different perspectives and disciplines that include but not limited to farm management, weed science, rural sociology, risk analysis and decision making, Extension, agronomy, plant and soil sciences. Discussion is fluid but structured around "guiding questions" moderated by a trained expert and recorded with both a digital recorder and a note taker. This is followed by an analysis of audio recordings and notes shared by participants and an official note taker. This information will be used to develop a preliminary "expert model." Participants in the focus group will be asked for referrals for additional experts to participate in phase two model refinement. The phase two is a series of 10 semi-structured in person and telephone interviews in which the preliminary model is shared with the participants prior to an interview consisting of a series of topic specific open-ended questions. Participants are then asked to share their evaluation of the model. Phase three is an extensive literature search of academic, professional and lay print and digital resources that emerge during the first two phases. Using input from phases one and two, the expert model will be refined and prepared for use in Objective 2.Objective 2. We will identify a farmer study group in each state that will consist of farmers at various stages of business development who are considering scaling up their operation or changing their marketing practices. We will design and implement field interview questions using standard interview protocol (Bernard 2006) and use a purposeful sampling method to select 80 participants that can be stratified by the four business development stages (see below) using indicators identified in the Expert Model and literature review of Objective 1. We will identify 80 farm households that can be stratified into four groups of 20 within each state having 5 households per farm development stage. A list of potential interview participants will be identified in collaboration with local Extension colleagues and collaborating organizations in each state. Then, a pre-selection survey will be emailed each person with basic qualifying questions to determine their willingness and eligibility to participate in the study. A letter of introduction and explanation will accompany the email.Objective 3. Focus groups are a qualitative interview process in which participants are prompted by a trained moderator to discuss elements of and provide insights, perceptions, and recommendations for a specific topic. The methodology is used widely in social science and communications research because of its ability to identify beliefs people have on a topic and explore them in a social setting, using a synergistic conversation to draw out and build on these as a group. Eight focus groups will be conducted to vet the concepts and ideas used to develop the dashboard. Findings will be transcribed and coded for emergent themes using HyperResearch qualitative analysis software, and used in the refinement of small and mid-sized farmer typologies for developing educational strategies, messages, information, and materials in Year 3. The focus groups will select preferred infographics (charts, graphs, gauges and maps) and units of measure (profit/acre, hours of labor/unit of production, overall satisfaction index, work/life balance indicators, etc.) for receiving information on farm labor management strategies. In addition, focus groups will tap into farmers' levels of trust and perceptions of reliability of various farming information sources, educational activities, and preferences for receiving information such as workshop trainings, webinars and other internet sources, and field days and on-farm demonstrations.Objective 4. Getting the decision-support tools working will be an iterative process that requires several individuals with a strong understanding of the content to work closely with the programmers to make the tool function properly. There are members of the team that have worked on similar type projects and their experience will be a valuable asset during this phase. On-going assessment by members of the Project Advisory Committee will augment the feedback loop.Objective 5. Members of the Project Advisory Committee will review and test the training materials for clarity and accuracy. Attendance at workshops and webinars will be used to gauge general interest in this topic.

Progress 04/01/14 to 03/31/19

Outputs
Target Audience:Farmers with varying degrees of experience in recruiting, hiring, training, and managing employees on small and mid-sized vegetable and diversified farms. Secondary audience is extension educators and farm technical assistance providers that have an interest in advising farmers on labor related issues Changes/Problems:The IRB approval process required more time than we originally planned for which has resulted in the interviews being pushed to Summer 2015 -- this creates some stress for the farmers who are in the middle of planting in the participating regions of the country. We have addressed this issue but stretching the interviews through September. Provided all of the interviews can be completed by September 30, we will still be on track to complete this phase of the research and stay on track for the rest of the project. Our original goal was to have the farmer survey completed this year. Delays in the coding and analysis of the interviews put us behind on that goal. The leadership team and our farmer advisers detemined that a survey intended for farmers could not be distributed during the summer when many of our target farmers would be too busy. We've decided to delay the release of the survey until Fall 2016 which most likely will require us to request a no-cost extension to complete the work. One of our co-PDs accepted a new position and our graduate student left the university. Those changes happened late enough in the project to avoid major changes but they did slow down our ability to get the survey launched and required that we switch to a different survey collection instrument. With the no-cost extension, we will continue the survey into the next year to reach more farmers. Our new AFRI proposal was selected for funding so we will be able to continue our work in this area and we have been able to add two states to our team - North Carolina and Ohio. This will help to address one of the problems we encountered which was a lack of diversity in our samples. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Year 2.We used the preliminary findings from the interviews to share information with farmers and educators through conference presentations and seminars. We also delivered a two-part webinar series on the findings. to 52 individuals. The major themes that emerged from the interviews and focus groups were: Recruitment and Retention; Legal Issues; Communication; Farmer Readiness (transitioning from farmer to manager/boss). Year 3.During this year we provided direct education to 139 farmers through workshops. One was a four-part series offered in both Vermont and New Hampshire. A single workshop was held in Lenox, MA for farmers on basic hiring and retention strategies for farmers hiring their first employee(s). A workshop was held in Portland, OR for women farmers on employee communication strategies and 'how to be the boss'. This workshop attracted farmers/ranchers from 9 different states. The team was also active in five conference presentations. Posters and/or presentations were given at the National Risk Management Education Conference in Cinncinati, OH; the 5th National Women in Sustainable Agriculture Conference in Portland, OR; the National Small Farm Conference in Virginia Beach, VA; the Northeast Beginning Farmer Learning Network and the Farm Viability Conference in Albany, NY. The audience for these presentations included 242 educators and technical assistance providers from around the country. In an effort to address the workplace communication needs of farmers, one member of our team has become a certified trainer in DiSC and will begin providing training to farmers in the coming year. A second member of the team will be pursuing certification this summer. Year 4.4 workshops for farmers were completed during the year (110 farmers). Outcomes (Impact - for the year as of March 31, 2018) • 35 farmers report increased motivation to set goals aligning labor needs with scope and scale of farm business • 268 farmers and service providers report increased confidence related to making labor decisions • 42 farmers recommend the dashboard and associated resources to other farmers • 53 farmers report improved knowledge of key performance indicators impacting farm labor decisions • 37 farmers report increased knowledge re: the amount/ type of labor required to attain desired scale. • 26 farmers report improved capacity to assess the economic impacts of labor decisions. • 63 farmers report improved capacity to assess the impacts of labor decisions on quality of life 4 conferences presentations were offered for educators, extension personnel and technical assistance providers. Two Extension Specialists were certified in DiSC Workplace Assessment and are scheduling farmer trainings. Comment from farmer: I enjoyed your workshop last week in Northampton, MA. I was looking at the Ag Labor Dashboard today and wanted to thank you for this information. Please let me know when personnel policy manual is ready. Also thanks for the sample employment application. Would you be available to review my work? Thank you very much. In the last year of the project we focused efforts on training and professional development. Labor managment continues to be a popular topic for small and medium-sized vegetable and diversified farms. We presented trainings directly to farmers at 4 conferences including Risk Management Education, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture annual conference, Northeast Organic Farmer Conference in Vermont, Midwest Organic Sustainable Education Conference. We also presented posters at several conferences. We reached over 600 farmers through these efforts. We offered online training classes to farmers featuring the DiSC Workplace Assessment led by 2 members of our leadership team who are DiSC certified. The first class was offered to 50 farmers in New England. A second class was offered to women farmers from seven states. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The publications and dashboard tools have been introduced at all the workshops and conferences identified above. In addition we have issued several factsheets, blog articles, and social media posts related to the available tools and the emerging themes from the research. Information iis being transferred through conference presentations, blogs, webinars, newsletter articles and workshops. This information goes mostly to peers and colleagues in the research and extension communities. We have started to present to farmers providing tools and background information on hiring employees. This information is built on the feedback we received from farmers and other farm labor 'experts'. We have published two blog articles for farmers. We are developing the website that will house most of the decision tools and supplemental information. In our 4th year, four conference presentations were offered for educators, extension personnel and technical assistance providers (164 individuals). We contributed to 5 webinars and multiple blog posts, articles and direct information requests. The farmers we have worked with are improving their labor managment practices and are focused on becoming an employer of choice in an increasingly competitive labor market. The farm labor dashboard has been promoted through professional meetings, conferences, blog posts and webinars. We have responded to 150+ requests for information. The data we have collected has been used by colleagues to support further research into the area of farm labor. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?2014-2015 We will launch the survey instrument to collect additional information on what tools and materials would be most useful to farmers as they consider hiring employees. We will continue to develop decision tools and supporting materials.The website will be launched and populated with resources to help farmers with labor management decisions. 2015 - 2016 Plan of Work Identified: • Complete farmer interviews in each research location. • Transcribe audio recordings of the interviews and analyze data using the criteria established in the proposal. • Prepare a farmer model of labor management for each of the farm development stages in the proposal. • Summarize farmer perceptions of labor, needs, and sources and channels of information. • Prepare summary of data appropriate for input to the labor management "dashboard" decision making tool. The leadership team met in June 2015 to develop the plan of action for the 2nd year of the project. 2016-2017 We are in the final stage of the project and focusing on outreach and training. We will be continuing the education portion of this project. More workshops, webinars and train-the-trainer series are scheduled for our final year. We will be releasing a series of videos presentations on the survey data we have collected over two years. We are completing a series of audio "bites" and short videos on using the tools in the dashboard. We will be piloting a virtual DiSC training for farmers. Although this project has ended we do have a related project that will continue on. We will be looking at the role of mechanization and technology on small and medium-sized farms given the pervasive and ongoing labor shortages.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 2014 Accomplishments • Leadership team met to develop research protocol and 1st year action plan • Using an initial literature review and project team member input, we developed the "expert focus group protocol". • Submitted and received approval for "expert focus group protocol" from the University of Vermont Institutional Review Board. • Conducted "expert focus group" with 8 experts and 3 observers. • We used a modified protocol to develop an interview guide for interviewing additional experts who could not attend the focus group. • Conducted 10 interviews with experts who could not attend the focus group. • We analyzed notes and audio recording from both the expert focus group and interview series to develop a flow diagram that serves as the expert model that will guide further research. • Using input from our team and guided by our expert model, we developed a "farmer interview protocol". • Submitted and received Human Subjects approval for "farmer interview protocol" from • University of Vermont IRB • University of New Hampshire IRB • Penn State IRB • University of Wisconsin IRB • Developed a comprehensive list of 20 farmers fitting the selection criteria outlined in the proposal for the farmer Report Date 06/03/2019 Page 2 of 4 United States Department of Agriculture Progress Report Accession No. 1002729 Project No. VT11401786 interviews in each of the four research locations (NH, PA, VT, WI) for a total of 80 farmers. • The recruitment letter and initial contact to begin conducting farmer interviews: • The letters and initial contact has been made with all 20 in Ohio. • The letters have been sent for each of the other three locations (60 farmers total). In the second year we completed one-on-one interviews with farmers (52 interviews in fours states) experienced in labor management. The interviews were transcribed and the data analysis completed. This data, combined with the previously collected data from the first year of the project, lays the groundwork for our survey which has been drafted. The interview data also provides a rich data set which we are using to develop decision-making tools and resources to help farmers make better labor decisions for their farms. In the third yearwe completed the data analysis and coding of the 57 interviews with farmers in four states (New Hampshire 11, Pennsylvania- 18, Vermont - 13, Wisconsin - 15). Using this analysis along with previously collected data from the focus groups, we were able to identify five key themes guiding farm labor decision-making: finding/retaining employees; farmer readiness; legal issues; communication issues; and a generic theme which we call 'professionalism'. These themes were used to develop a survey instrument that was sent out electronically during Winter/Spring 2017. One of the themes, legal issues, resulted in the development of a series of three legal guides that offer state-specific information on various aspects of farm labor. These have currently been completed for three of our four states. The final state (WI) will be completed in the coming year. These publications have been very popular with farmers. Outcomes (Impact - as of March 31, 2017) • 50 farmers report increased motivation to set goals aligning labor needs with scope and scale of farm business • 95 farmers and service providers report increased confidence related to making labor decisions • 20 farmers recommend the dashboard and associated resources to other farmers • 40 farmers report improved knowledge of key performance indicators impacting farm labor decisions • 65 farmers report increased knowledge re: the amount/ type of labor required to attain desired scale. • 15 farmers report improved capacity to assess the economic impacts of labor decisions. • 25 farmers report improved capacity to assess the impacts of labor decisions on quality of life The decision-making dashboard now has three tools available. Again, these tools evolved from the emerging themes. The Job Description Generator was revised based on farmer feedback. The two new tools: the Farm Labor Cost Calculator and Farm Labor Readiness Assessment are both in beta testing and will continue to be revised over the coming year. In year 4 decision-support materials continue to be be developed for the dashboard. These tools are available for farmers and educators. We continued the series of legal guides for the particpating states. We've started materials for train-the-trainer sessions for educators. We'll cover how to access and use the dashboard, what farmers tell us they are doing, and not doing, related to best management practices. We conducted trainings and workshops at 3 national conferences, 4 regional conferences, and 5 stand-alone workshops and 3 poster sessions. We reached 600+ farmers and 220 educators with these materials. We responded to 150 information requests. The dashboard was re-organized for improved user access. New modules were uploaded. Outreach efforts continued.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2015 Citation: Liang, C. & Dunn, P. (2015). Linking Farm Entrepreneurs Demographics to Multifunctional Agriculture (MFA) Strategy:Evidences from New England Farm Survey, National Small Business Institute conference, Presentation, February 11-14,St. Petes Beach, Florida.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2015 Citation: Liang, C. Dunn, P. (2015). Exploring the Relationships between Off Farm Employment, Multifunctionality, Economic Mobility, and Rural Development, Poster Presentation, Federal Reserve Banks Conference, Washington DC, April 3-5.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Peabody, M.L. & Parker, J.S. (2016). Unpacking the Farm Labor Puzzle, New Hampshire Small Farm Conference, Presentation, January 8, Concord, NH.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2015 Citation: J.S. Parker, M. Peabody, K. Liang, B. Holtzman. Contested Approaches to Improving the Quality of Labor Management Decisions for Small and Medium-Sized Farm Operators: Expert and Farmer Perceptions of Labor. Joint Annual Meetings of the Agriculture and Human Values Society and the Association for the Study of Food and Society, June 2428, Pittsburgh, PA.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2016 Citation: J.S. Parker. &but I Don't Want to be a Manager: Perceptions of Labor and the Intersecting Roles of The Farmer. Plant and Soil Science Seminar Series, April 8.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: B. Holtzman, J. Hendrickson, M.Peabody, J.S.Parker, C.Sachs. Tools to Improve the Quality of Labor Management Decision-Making. Presented at the Extension Risk Management Education National Conference, April 26-28, 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Jacques, Bianca J. A Qualitative Study Exploring Labor Challenges and Constraints and The Labor Hiring and Management Decisions on Fruit, Vegetable and Horticulture Specialty Farm. Thesis for the degree of Master of Science,Department: Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education, North Carolina A&T State University

Progress 04/01/18 to 03/31/19

Outputs
Target Audience:Farmers with varying degrees of experience in recruiting, hiring, training, and managing employees on small and mid-sized vegetable and diversified farms. Secondary audience is extension educators and farm technical assistance providers that have an interest in advising farmers on labor related issues. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In this last year of the project we focused efforts on training and professional development. Labor managment continues to be a popular topic for small and medium-sized vegetable and diversified farms. We presented trainings directly to farmers at 4 conferences including Risk Management Education, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture annual conference, Northeast Organic Farmer Conference in Vermont, Midwest Organic Sustainable Education Conference. We also presented posters at several conferences. We reached over 600 farmers through these efforts. We offered online training classes to farmers featuring the DiSC Workplace Assessment led by 2 members of our leadership team who are DiSC certified. The first class was offered to 50 farmers in New England. A second class was offered to women farmers from seven states. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The dashboard has been promoted through professional meetings, conferences, blog posts and webinars. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We conducted trainings and workshops at3 national conferences, 4 regional conferences, and 5 stand-alone workshops. We reached 600+ farmers and 220 educators with these materials. The dashboard was re-organized for improved user access. New modules were uploaded.

Publications

Progress 04/01/17 to 03/31/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Farmers with varying degrees of experience in recruiting, hiring, training, and managing employees on small and mid-sized vegetable and diversified farms. Secondary audience is extension educators and farm technical assistance providers that have an interest in advising farmers on labor related issues. Changes/Problems:Our new AFRI proposal was selected for funding so we will be able to continue our work in this area and we have been able to add two states to our team - North Carolina and Ohio. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?4 workshops for farmers were completed during the year (110 farmers). Outcomes (Impact - for the year as of March 31, 2018) • 35 farmers report increased motivation to set goals aligning labor needs with scope and scale of farm business • 268 farmers and service providers report increased confidence related to making labor decisions • 42 farmers recommend the dashboard and associated resources to other farmers • 53 farmers report improved knowledge of key performance indicators impacting farm labor decisions • 37 farmers report increased knowledge re: the amount/ type of labor required to attain desired scale. • 26 farmers report improved capacity to assess the economic impacts of labor decisions. • 63 farmers report improved capacity to assess the impacts of labor decisions on quality of life 4 conferences presentations were offered for educators, extension personnel and technical assistance providers. Two Extension Specialists were certified in DiSC Workplace Assessment and are scheduling farmer trainings. Comment from farmer:I enjoyed your workshop last week in Northampton, MA. I was looking at the Ag Labor Dashboard today and wanted to thank you for this information.Please let me know when personnel policy manual is ready. Also thanks for the sample employment application. Would you be available to review my work? Thank you very much, Mary. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Four conference presentations were offered for educators, extension personnel and technical assistance providers (164 individuals). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We are in the final stage of the project and focusing on outreach and training. We will be continuing the education portion of this project. More workshops, webinars and train-the-trainer series are scheduled for our final year. We will be releasing a series of infographics based on the survey data we have collected over two years. We are completing a series of audio "bites" and short videos on using the tools in the dashboard. We will be piloting a virtual DiSC training for farmers.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Decision-support materials continue to be be developed for the dashboard. These tools are available for farmers and educators. We continued the series of legal guides for the particpating states. We've started materials for train-the-trainer sessions for educators. We'll cover how to access and use the dashboard, what farmers tell us they are doing, and not doing, related to best management practices.

Publications

• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Jacques, Bianca J. A Qualitative Study Exploring Labor Challenges and Constraints and The Labor Hiring and Management Decisions on Fruit, Vegetable and Horticulture Specialty Farm. Thesis for the degree of Master of Science,Department: Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education, North Carolina A&T State University.

Progress 04/01/16 to 03/31/17

Outputs
Target Audience:Farmers with varying degrees of experience in recruiting, hiring, training, and managing employees on small and mid-sized vegetable and diversified farms. Secondary audience is extension educators and farm technical assistance providers that have an interest in advising farmers on labor related issues. Changes/Problems:One of our co-PDs accepted a new position and our graduate student left the university. Those changes happened late enough in the project to avoid major changes but they didslowdown our ability to get the survey launched and required that we switch to a different survey collection instrument. With the no-cost extension, we will continue the survey into the next year to reach more farmers. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During this year we provided direct education to 139 farmers through workshops. One was a four-part series offered in both Vermont and New Hampshire. A single workshop was held in Lenox, MA for farmers on basic hiring and retention strategies for farmers hiring their first employee(s). A workshop was held in Portland, OR for women farmers on employee communication strategies and 'how to be the boss'. This workshop attracted farmers/ranchers from 9 different states. The team was also active in five conference presentations. Posters and/or presentations were given at the National Risk Management Education Conference in Cinncinati, OH; the 5th National Women in Sustainable Agriculture Conference in Portland, OR; the National Small Farm Conference in Virginia Beach, VA; the Northeast Beginning Farmer Learning Network and the Farm Viability Conference in Albany, NY. The audience for these presentations included 242educators and technical assistance providers from around the country. In an effort to address the workplace communication needs offarmers,one member of our team has become a certified trainer in DiSC and will begin providing training to farmers in the coming year. A second member of the team will be pursuing certification this summer. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We are in the early stages of project outreach. The publications and dashboard tools have been introduced at all the workshops and conferences identified above. In addition we have issued several factsheets, blog articles, and social media posts related to the available tools and the emerging themes from the research. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We have applied for, and received, a no-cost extension which extends our project to March 31, 2018. In this final year our focus will be on outreach and publishing our results. Publish the final set of legal guides for Wisconsin Complete two journal articles on the collected data Continue to build out the website Launch train-the-trainer materials Present our findings at 4 national/regional conferences Offer another series of workshops for farmers Present two webinar series -- one on using the dashboard tools and one on farmer readiness and business communication Continue the survey with the goal of reaching 300 farmers

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? In the past year we completed the data analysis and coding of the 57 interviews with farmers in four states (New Hampshire-11,Pennsylvania- 18,Vermont - 13,Wisconsin - 15). Using this analysis along with previously collected data from the focus groups, we were able to identify five key themes guiding farm labor decision-making: finding/retaining employees; farmer readiness; legal issues; communication issues; and a generic theme which we call 'professionalism'.These themes were used to develop a survey instrument that was sent out electronically during Winter/Spring 2017. One of the themes, legal issues, resulted in the development of a series of three legal guides that offer state-specific information on various aspects of farm labor. These have currently been completed for three of our four states. The final state (WI) will be completed in the coming year. These publications have been very popular with farmers. Outcomes (Impact - as of March 31, 2017) • 50 farmers report increased motivation to set goals aligning labor needs with scope and scale of farm business • 95 farmers and service providers report increased confidence related to making labor decisions • 20 farmers recommend the dashboard and associated resources to other farmers • 40 farmers report improved knowledge of key performance indicators impacting farm labor decisions • 65 farmers report increased knowledge re: the amount/ type of labor required to attain desired scale. • 15 farmers report improved capacity to assess the economic impacts of labor decisions. • 25 farmers report improved capacity to assess the impacts of labor decisions on quality of life The decision-making dashboard now has three tools available. Again, these tools evolved from the emerging themes. The Job Description Generator was revised based on farmer feedback. The two new tools: the Farm Labor Cost Calculator and Farm Labor Readiness Assessment are both in beta testing and will continue to be revised over the coming year.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 2017. B. Holtzman, J. Hendrickson, M.Peabody, J.S.Parker, C.Sachs. Tools to Improve the Quality of Labor Management Decision-Making. Presented at the Extension Risk Management Education National Conference, April 26-28, 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Progress 04/01/15 to 03/31/16

Outputs
Target Audience:Farmers with varying degrees of experience in recruiting, hiring, training and managing employees. Changes/Problems:Our original goal was to have the farmer survey completed this year. Delays in the coding and analysis of the interviews put us behind on that goal. The leadership team and our farmer advisers detemined that a survey intended for farmers could not be distributed during the summer when many of our target farmers would be too busy. We've decided to delay the release of the survey until Fall 2016 which most likely will require us to request a no-cost extension to complete the work. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We used the preliminary findings from the interviews to share information with farmers and educators through conference presentations and seminars. We also delivered a two-part webinar series on the findings. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have started to present information in the form of conference presentations. This information goes mostly to peers and colleagues in the research and extension communities. We have started to present to farmers providing tools and background information on hiring employees. This information is built on the feedback we received from farmers and other farm labor 'experts'. We have published two blog articles for farmers. We are developing the website that will house most of the decision tools and supplemental information. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will launch the survey instrument to collect additional information on what tools and materials would be most useful to farmers as they consider hiring employees. We will continue to develop decision tools and supporting materials.The website will be launched and populated with resources to help farmers with labor management decisions.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? In the past year we completed one-on-one interviews with farmers (52 interviews in fours states) experienced in labor management. The interviews were transcribed and the data analysis completed. This data, combined with the previously collected data from the first year of the project, lays the groundwork for our survey which has been drafted. The interview data also provides a rich data set which we are using to develop decision-making tools and resources to help farmers make better labor decisions for their farms.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Peabody, M.L. & Parker, J.S. (2016). Unpacking the Farm Labor Puzzle, New Hampshire Small Farm Conference, Presentation, January 8, Concord, NH.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Parker, J.S. (2016). Contested Approaches to Farm Labor for Small and Medium-Sized Farm Operators in the U.S.: Expert and Farmer Perceptions of Labor and Intersecting Roles of The Farmer. Presented at the Annual Meetings of the Society for Applied Anthropology, March 29 to April 2, 2016, Vancouver, BC, CANADA.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2015 Citation: 2015. J.S. Parker, M. Peabody, K. Liang, B. Holtzman. Contested Approaches to Improving the Quality of Labor Management Decisions for Small and Medium-Sized Farm Operators: Expert and Farmer Perceptions of Labor. Joint Annual Meetings of the Agriculture and Human Values Society and the Association for the Study of Food and Society, Jun 24  28, Pittsburgh, PA.
• Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2016 Citation: 2016. J.S. Parker. &but I Don't Want to be a Manager: Perceptions of Labor and the Intersecting Roles of The Farmer. Plant and Soil Science Seminar Series, April 8.

Progress 04/01/14 to 03/31/15

Outputs
Target Audience: Farmers with varying degrees of experience in recruiting, hiring, training, and managing employees. Changes/Problems: The IRB approval process required more time than we originally planned for which has resulted in the interviews being pushed to Summer 2015 -- this creates some stress for the farmers who are in the middle of planting in the participating regions of the country. We have addressed this issue but stretching the interviews through September. Provided all of the interviews can be completed by September 30, we will still be on track to complete this phase of the research and stay on track for the rest of the project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? 2015 - 2016 Plan of Work Identified: Complete farmer interviews in each research location. Transcribe audio recordings of the interviews and analyze data using the criteria established in the proposal. Prepare a farmer model of labor management for each of the farm development stages in the proposal. Summarize farmer perceptions of labor, needs, and sources and channels of information. Prepare summary of data appropriate for input to the labor management "dashboard" decision making tool. The leadership team met in June 2015 to develop the plan of action for the 2nd year of the project.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 2014 Accomplishments Leadership team met to develop research protocol and 1st year action plan Using an initial literature review and project team member input, we developed the "expert focus group protocol". Submitted and received approval for "expert focus group protocol" from the University of Vermont Institutional Review Board. Conducted "expert focus group" with 8 experts and 3 observers. We used a modified protocol to develop an interview guide for interviewing additional experts who could not attend the focus group. Conducted 10 interviews with experts who could not attend the focus group. We analyzed notes and audio recording from both the expert focus group and interview series to develop a flow diagram that serves as the expert model that will guide further research. Using input from our team and guided by our expert model, we developed a "farmer interview protocol". Submitted and received Human Subjects approval for "farmer interview protocol" from University of Vermont IRB University of New Hampshire IRB Penn State IRB University of Wisconsin IRB Developed a comprehensive list of 20 farmers fitting the selection criteria outlined in the proposal for the farmer interviews in each of the four research locations (NH, PA, VT, WI) for a total of 80 farmers. The recruitment letter and initial contact to begin conducting farmer interviews: The letters and initial contact has been made with all 20 in Ohio. The letters have been sent for each of the other three locations (60 farmers total).

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2015 Citation: Liang, C. & Dunn, P. (2015). Linking Farm Entrepreneurs Demographics to Multifunctional Agriculture (MFA) Strategy: Evidences from New England Farm Survey, National Small Business Institute conference, Presentation, February 11-14, St. Petes Beach, Florida.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2015 Citation: Liang, C. Dunn, P. (2015). Exploring the Relationships between Off Farm Employment, Multifunctionality, Economic Mobility, and Rural Development, Poster Presentation, Federal Reserve Banks Conference, Washington DC, April 3-5.