Course applicable to all New York agricultural commodities
Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development has opened registration for a five-week online course in the Supervisory Leadership Certificate series. “Transitioning to Supervisor” course materials release and registration closes January 20, 2023, with the first live Zoom class on January 26. The course costs $275 and spaces are limited. 
Registration link for Transitioning to Supervisor
Information link for the Agricultural Supervisory Leadership certificate program
The Agricultural Supervisory Leadership series helps farm supervisors and managers learn and apply human resource management practices and leadership skills that foster rewarding workplaces and drive business results. Confident managers who thoughtfully apply leadership and management skills improve employee performance, develop teams, reduce employee turnover, and increase employee engagement. The six courses within the certificate series offer extensive practice and engagement activities to build confidence and skill sets.
Transitioning to Supervisor is the course you’ve been waiting for: How to lead people in your farm business! Learn the essential skills to supervise more effectively and create a great place to work. Transitioning to Supervisor helps new and experienced managers make the difficult, but critical, transition from individual performer to supervisor. Participants learn essential leadership skills, such as: building effective work relationships, essential communication skills, managing conflict, leading a multi-cultural team, and how to build an effective workplace culture.
Transitioning to Supervisor students say:
All modules had great value. It got me to rethink some things. The elements fit together pretty well, building upon each other. The breakout rooms were good. I liked the variety of learning. I found the country differences extremely valuable to better understand our multicultural workforce. Communication lessons gave perspective on different ways to communicate effectively with your team. The lesson with power distances was helpful to teach different ways people of other countries view topics. I really enjoyed the videos during the course and being able to ask questions to instructors and getting a quick response. The self-evaluation to find out what kind of a supervisor you are was helpful.
Who should attend?
This course, and the whole certificate series, is appropriate for both new and experienced farm supervisors and managers, and those preparing to become supervisors. All participants learn leadership concepts and practice skills that will improve their ability to build a positive workplace and get results through leading others.
How to attend?
The course is taught online, but you can still actively engage with other learners. Watch prerecorded presentations on your own schedule, and engage with classmates and instructors during weekly, live discussion sessions. Participation in the live sessions is highly encouraged and provides a valued opportunity for peer-to-peer learning and networking. Continuing education credits are offered.
Course instructors include:
- Richard Stup, Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development Specialist
- Elizabeth Higgins, Ag Business Management/Production Economics Extension Specialist with the Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture team
- Libby Eiholzer, Bilingual Dairy Specialist, Cargill
- Bob Milligan, Cornell University Professor Emeritus
- Kaitlyn Lutz, Bilingual Dairy Management Specialist
Direct questions to Rachel McCarthy, Agricultural Supervisory Leadership Coordinator, at rachel.mccarthy@cornell.edu.
Courses in the Supervisory Leadership certificate program can be taken in any order and include:
- Transitioning to Supervisor: Develop essential communication skills and manage conflict. Lead a multi-cultural team. Build an effective workplace culture.
- Organizing Work for High Quality Results: Create an efficient and high-performing workplace. Develop clear expectations and standard operating procedures. Delegate effectively. Diagnose and correct performance problems.
- Managing Performance: Understand motivation. Harness the power of performance feedback and coaching. Build clear and effective workplace communications. Set safety expectations. Conduct effective performance improvements.
- Ethics and Employment Regulations for Supervisors: Implement responsible and ethical labor practices and understand why this matters for agriculture. Recognize and prevent sexual harassment. Understand and follow minimum wage and overtime laws. Implement Equal Employment Opportunity laws to prevent discrimination and harassment. Use an employee handbook. Handle employee discipline and termination.
- Employee Development and Training: Identify training needs. Understand learning styles. Design and plan learning experiences that accommodate learner needs. Develop effective training skills and techniques. Evaluate learning results and training effectiveness.
- Staffing and Organizing Your Team: Develop job descriptions. Learn how to find potential employees, interview and select the right people. Implement new hire documentation, employment authorization, and onboarding: bringing new employees into the business successfully and productively.
Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development’s mission is to help farms and agribusinesses build committed and effective teams who will carry out the important work of feeding the world. We believe that agricultural work can, and should be, engaging and rewarding for everyone involved. Managers can build committed teams by applying the best human resource management practices for the agricultural setting. Key program goals include:
- Provide leadership and management development education focused on farm supervisors, middle managers, and owners
- Clarify workforce regulations that apply to farms and increasing levels of compliance
- Build consistent channels of communication and learning opportunities about agricultural workforce issues
- Conduct research into workforce problems and challenges that confront agriculture
