Planning Your Payroll



Estimating Employee Costs & Tradeoffs with Investments in Mechanization

Learn how to estimate the complete cost of employees, including payroll taxes, workers compensation and any benefits you might offer beyond regular hourly wages. This two-part, online workshop will also introduce a tool for exploring how investments in mechanization can affect your labor needs and costs. The workshop is part of the 2022 Farm Labor Dashboard Workshop Series, which focuses on helping farmers build practical labor management knowledge and skills. 

Presenter: John Hendrickson, University of Wisconsin Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems. 

Session Format: Sessions will be delivered via Zoom. Connection information, along with additional resources and information will be available through the workshop site. 

Fees. The workshop fee is $35. To purchase and enroll in the course, click the following button: 

Scholarships and multi-session discounts are available, reducing the workshop fee to $20. However, these options are only available for people who request – and receive approval – for reduced fees in advance of registration and payment.  To request either a multi-session discount or scholarship, please fill out this online form.

Please wait to register until you hear back from us via email. Decisions are generally made within 3 business days. If you are approved, you will receive a voucher code that you will use during the registration/payment process to activate a reduced registration fee for the workshops you indicated you wish to enroll in. 


Practical Communication Tools for Employee Management

Learn to utilize common and effective tools and practices to improve communication and employee performance on your farm. In part-one of this workshop, you’ll also learn how to use an online Personnel Policy Generator to develop a custom policy manual for your operation.  Farm policy manuals are effective tools to establish consistent expectations with employees, support supervision and help your farm to be in legal compliance. Participants will have the opportunity to create their own farm policy manual, with feedback from educators. 

Presenters: Kenesha Reynolds and Seth Wilner, University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension.

The workshop is part of the 2022 Farm Labor Dashboard Workshop Series, which focuses on helping farmers build practical labor management knowledge and skills. 

Fees. The workshop fee is $35. To purchase and enroll in the course, click the following button: 

Scholarships and multi-session discounts are available, reducing the workshop fee to $20. However, these options are only available for people who request – and receive approval  – for reduced fees in advance of registration and payment. To request either a multi-session discount or scholarship, please fill out this  online form. Then wait to register until you hear back from us via email. Decisions are generally made within 3 business days. If you are approved, you will receive a voucher code that you will use during the registration/payment process to activate a reduced registration fee for the workshops you indicated you wish to enroll in. 


Hiring and Retaining Employees on Your Farm


This two-part workshop focuses on effective strategies for hiring and keeping employees. You will learn and practice skills for effective employee feedback methods that help employees optimize their talents. We'll also explore the role job descriptions can play in both recruiting and managing employees, and you'll have a chance to start developing job descriptions for your crews for the coming season, and and feedback from educators and other participants. The workshop is part of the 2022 Farm Labor Dashboard Workshop Series, which focuses on helping farmers build practical labor management knowledge and skills. 

Session Format: Sessions will be delivered via Zoom. Connection information, along with additional resources and information will be available through the workshop site. 

Fees. The workshop fee is $35. To purchase and enroll in the course, click the following button: 

Scholarships and multi-session discounts are available for workshops offered through the 2022 Farm Labor Dashboard Workshop Series, reducing the workshop fee to $20. However, these options are only available for people who request – and receive approval for -- reduced fees in advance of registration and payment. To request either a multi-session discount or scholarship, please fill out this  online form.

Please wait to register until you hear back from us via email. Decisions are generally made within 3 business days. If you are approved, you will receive a voucher code that you will use during the registration/payment process to activate a reduced registration fee for the workshops you indicated you wish to enroll in. 


The Art of Negotiation: Getting What You Need

In this workshop, participants will explore what negotiation really is (and what it is not), how to prepare for and execute a successful negotiation, and how to preserve a relationship when the negotiation is not successful. You’ll have opportunities to discuss, problem solve, and practice negotiation approaches relevant to common labor management situations. You’ll also get support and feedback developing a written plan for a negotiation that you anticipate in the coming months. The workshop is part of the 2022 Farm Labor Dashboard Workshop Series, which focuses on helping farmers build practical labor management knowledge and skills. 

Presenters: Mary Peabody and Beth Holtzman, University of Vermont Extension. 

Session Format: Sessions will be delivered via Zoom. Connection information, along with additional resources and information will be available through the workshop site. 

Fees. The workshop fee is $35. To purchase and enroll in the course, click the following button: 

Scholarships and multi-session discounts are available for all the workshop in the series, reducing the workshop fee to $20. However, these options are only available for people who request – and receive approval – for reduced fees in advance of registration and payment. To request either a multi-session discount or scholarship, please fill out this online form.

Please wait to register until you hear back from us via email. Decisions are generally made within 3 business days. If you are approved, you will receive a voucher code that you will use during the registration/payment process to activate a reduced registration fee for the workshops you indicated you wish to enroll in. 


Cultivating a Safe, Healthy and Productive Crew workshop

Learn how to train employees to safely use tools and personal protective equipment, and in ergonomic approaches to farm tasks that will support season-long productivity and prevent injuries and lost work time. 

The workshop is part of the 2022 Farm Labor Dashboard Workshop Series, which focuses on helping farmers build practical labor management knowledge and skills. 

Lead presenter: Aaron Yoder, University of Nebraska Medical Center. 

Session Format: Sessions will be delivered via Zoom. Connection information, along with additional resources and information will be available through the workshop site. 

Fees. The workshop fee is $20. To purchase and enroll in the course, click the following button:

Scholarships and multi-session discounts are available for all workshops in the series, reducing the workshop fee to $10. However, these options are only available for people who request – and receive approval  – for reduced fees in advance of registration and payment. To request either a multi-session discount or scholarship, please fill out this  online form. Please wait to register until you hear back from us via email . Decisions are generally made within 3 business days. If you are approved, you will receive a voucher code that you will use during the registration/payment process to activate a reduced registration fee for the workshops you indicated you wish to enroll in.