New! Learn about our Ag Supervisory Leadership Certificate Program by watching our information session
Supervisors are critical to the success of farm businesses. They have a major impact both on employees’ daily work experiences and on the production performance of the business. The Agricultural Supervisory Leadership (ASL) certificate 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 courses within the certificate program will offer extensive practice and engagement activities to build confidence and skill sets.
Learn more about our program by watching our recorded information session here
Upcoming courses:
ASL101: Transition to Supervisor
Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development’s flagship online course, Transition to Supervisor, equips aspiring and new managers with essential leadership skills tailored for the agricultural industry. The course covers a range of crucial topics, including making the transition to supervisor, improving communication, understanding differences, managing conflict, leading a multicultural team, and building strong relationships. It is designed not only for new managers but also for those looking to step into supervisory roles. Experienced managers can also benefit from the course, gaining fresh insights to enhance their leadership effectiveness and better manage teams in a dynamic, diverse work environment.
Topics include: making the transition to supervisor | improving communication | understanding differences | managing conflict | leading a multicultural team | building relationships.
This course is offered online using the web-based platform Moodle. Module 1 will release on March 7 with live weekly Zoom discussions every Thursday at 11 AM ET beginning March 13 through April 17, 2025.
ASL102: Organizing Work for High Quality Results
Organizing Work for High Quality Results teaches farm supervisors how to develop clear expectations and delegate effectively. Learn how to implement a quality management system on your farm, create your own standard operating procedures, and develop processes to streamline work and improve results. This course is appropriate for both new and experienced farm supervisors and managers, as well as those preparing to become supervisors.
Topics include: Quality Management Systems | continuous improvement | setting clear expectations | quality assurance | protocols, activity flows and standard operating procedures | effective delegation | psychological safety | social responsibility in agriculture.
This course is offered online using the web-based platform Moodle. Module 1 will release on March 7 with live weekly Zoom discussions every Thursday at 3 PM ET beginning March 13 through April 17, 2025.
Course costs
$275 for NYS residents $325 for out of state residents
Registration closes March 12.
Scholarship Opportunity for Dairy Producers
Thanks to the generous support from the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC), eligible participants can apply for a $100 scholarship to cover a portion of their registration fees. To qualify for this scholarship, applicants must select “Dairy” when prompted about their industry during the registration process. Limited scholarship opportunities are available. Eligible participants must be from the states of: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
How to Receive a Discount: To receive the benefits of the scholarship and participate in this transformative program, when registering, ensure you select either “NYS Dairy” or “Northeast Dairy” in the industry question to qualify for scholarship consideration. The system will ask the registrant to select whether they are participating from within New York State, one of the NEBIC qualifying states, or a state outside of the Northeast region.
We also offer our ASL courses in Spanish. To view upcoming ASL courses taught exclusively in Spanish, click the button below:
An email address is required to register and only one registration per email address may be submitted. Members of the same company or farm may not register online using the same email address. The email address used should be unique to the person attending as it is used the track payments and attendance across events. If you are registering on behalf of the person attending, you will have the option to enter your email to receive confirmation emails for the person attending.
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, Dairy Technical Specialist, Cargill
Kaitlyn Lutz, Bilingual Dairy Management Specialist
Bob Milligan, Cornell University Professor Emeritus
Thomas Maloney, Senior Extension Associate, Retired
Jay Canzonier, Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development Extension Support Specialist
Contact Rachel McCarthy, Supervisory Leadership Certificate Program Coordinator, at rachel.mccarthy@cornell.edu.
Courses can be taken in any order and run six weeks. Cost is $275 per course for New York State residents and $325 for out of state residents (including those outside of the US).
ASL101 | Transition to Supervisor: Our flagship course. March 2025
ASL102 | 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. March 2025
ASL103 | 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. January 2026
ASL104 | 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. Active-January 2025
ASL105 | 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. November 2025
ASL106 | Ethics and Employment Regulations: 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. Handle employee discipline and termination. June 2025
* Please note that this course schedule is subject to change. While we strive to keep the schedule as accurate and up-to-date as possible, adjustments may occur due to unforeseen circumstances.
Why did you develop the certificate series?
My experience in working with farm managers over many years is that most are well trained and highly skilled in production but very few have received training in supervision and leadership. Many of the problems that managers face with leading people and teams have known solutions that can make the work experience better for managers and employees. We tested these concepts with working farm managers and found there was a very strong demand to help managers get better at daily leadership. We developed the Agricultural Supervisory Leadership certificate program to help managers be better at supervising, build stronger teams, create great places to work, and enjoy a more successful business.
What do you hope participants will gain?
I hope participants will gain practical tools that they can put in their supervisory skills toolbox. They can pull these tools out and use them to build a great workplace and solve problems. Ultimately, we want farm managers to be just as confident about their ability to lead people as they are about their ability to manage farm production. After all, farms these days are people businesses, you’ve got to be good with people to create the systems and processes to get work done effectively.
How do you see the program evolving/growing?
We are in the early stages of development the ASL program. I see the program growing considerably as we become more well known in New York and across the country. We’re also working on making the Agricultural Supervisory Leadership certificate available in Spanish so that we can better support the growing number of Spanish-speaking managers and owners.
