Agricultural Labor Management

Specialist / Educator

(Third International e-Seminar, 2007)

Course Objectives and Background

Despite its importance, very few agricultural colleges and universities provide training in human resource management. Whatever control over production growers and producers have, it is achieved through people. How these individuals are selected and managed makes all the difference. This course is directed to plant or animal scientists, veterinarians, extension educators, labor management consultants, or others interested in learning new skills or expanding on present ones. 

As a result of having participated in this course, participants will obtain an overview of agricultural labor management theory and focus on one area of practice listed below. Participants will learn through (1) participant consulting experience; (2) assigned reading; (3) electronic tests; (4) participation in electronic bulletin board and AG-HRnet; (5) group contact with other participants and instructor; (6) field experience write-up; (7) participant teaching experience; and (8) case assignments. We would encourage participants to do much more than the minimum that is required, and to work with the class instructor to plan for additional practical and theoretical involvement to greatly increase your experience in the field.

Who should participate?

This seminar is directed towards several groups of individuals: 1) those who already work in an academic position, but wish to incorporate the teaching of agricultural labor management into the work they do; 2) veterinarians, nutritionists, agronomists, or others who work with farm employers who wish to further expand their services; 3) labor management or other consultants. In addition, 4) some farm enterprises may wish to provide additional training to their HR staff.  

How to get the most out of this seminar?

The biggest stumbling block for most people taking this seminar has been taking the on-line tests. Adults simply do not like to take tests. As a result we have done everything possible to make it easier to take these quizzes. You may take the test with a made up name until you feel you know the material well enough to turn in your score. Even when you have submitted your real name, you can opt to cancel out all the way to the point where there is one more question to answer. And even if you have done all that you are encouraged to take the test again until you are happy with your score. In other words, the tests themselves should be a learning experience. Here is what I suggest. Take the test once before you even read the associated chapters in order to get rid of the test anxiety. As you read the chapter, it will make it easier to concentrate on the most important aspects of the text. I suggest, furthermore, trying to read the book and take all the tests within 4 to 6 weeks and then begin to work on the fun part of the course, the practical field experiences, as well as the collegial ones.

Course Requirements

Participants must feel comfortable speaking in front of a group and be able to produce write ups of activities. Participants also need to be comfortable making contacts with farm employers and arranging to conduct class projects (unless they are already working at a farm operation). Written assignments, reports, or exams may be taken or turned in either in Spanish or English. Participants will need access to a computer with a relatively fast Internet connection to turn in written assignments, take exams, communicate via E-mail, and carry out conversations via Skype. Please download Skype and test it out before registering for the course. In addition, participants will need to have access to Excel. The principal texts will be Labor Management in Agriculture:  Cultivating Personnel Productivity, and Helping Others Resolve Differences: Empowering Stakeholders, both available on the Web. It is also recommended that participants read a regular (non-agricultural) text on HRM (these are available in both English and Spanish). The course will require two to five hours of work per week.

1. Participants need to pay the cost of the seminar before initiating work. We have two options:
1. A check made out to UC Regents
2. Pay through a credit card
2. For the seminar to have value, participants will need to dedicate at least half a day of reading and study or field work every other week (or two to three hours per week). In order to keep an active status, furthermore, participants will need to carry out one of the following activities every other week:
1. Take a quiz (if you do so anonymously, please let me know which test was yours) without regard to whether or not you obtained a passing grade.
2. Send a message of value to either AG-HRnet or the vBulletin on agricultural labor management.
3. Call me through Skype or on the phone to propose a practical application or converse about a theoretical aspect of agricultural labor management. Or to converse about some related book or study.
4. Participate in a virtual seminar via Breeze. I offer these from time to time.
3. There are five theoretical exams; there are five general topics with two quizzes each. I suggest that you complete a new topic and the related exams every three weeks. That is, the theoretical portion of the seminar should be completed in four months or less. The design and execution of the practical project should take about two months. Thus, the whole course needs to be finished within six months.  
4. Individuals who need to go on vacation or have other reasons that do not permit them to fulfill these requirements can let me know ahead of time. (I also will to do the same when I am going to be away for an extended period.)
5. After six months, or if the participant has not maintained an active status (2nd point) for more than two months, s/he will need to re-register and pay the cost of the seminar.
1. Those persons who have completed the theoretical portion and passed their 10 quizzes, will earn credit for having completed half the seminar and will only have to pay $30 to re-register. If more than two years have transpired from the last exam, all the exams will have to be taken again and will have to pay $60.
2. If nine or fewer exams have been passed, the full $60 will have to be paid to re-register. If 18 months have transpired from the last exam, all the exams will need to be retaken.
6. In the advanced or continuation seminar, we shall be negotiating the work to be carried out with each participant, and the seminar will last from 6 months to a year. It will be required, however, that the participant fulfills the points in 2b to 2e to maintain active status.
7. It is up to the participants to negotiate an alternative before the time limit expirations, if changes are desired.
8. Those who do not have the economic means to pay for the seminar may wish to negotiate an intense work schedule in terms of taking the quizzes in a more expedited way, and dedicate greater effort to the course, in lieu of payment.

Participant Consulting Experience

Participants will need to submit a plan for, and carry out, a field experience in one of the following areas: 1) employee selection testing; 2) incentive pay; 3) performance appraisal; 4) employee discipline; or 5) mediation of interpersonal conflict. The results will need to be submitted as a draft, and then a final publication. Participants will also submit their papers to a trade or research journal of their choice, and present their results in a class or seminar of their choice. Outstanding papers will be posted in the Agricultural Labor Management website. NOTE: Experiential activities must be approved by the instructor before being carried out, including at least one Skype or phone conversation with the instructor.

The purpose of this phase is to give each participant a practical base through work in the field.  Another purpose will be to provide growers and producers practical cases rooted in the geographic area where they work.  It will be a great aid to farmers in moving closer to being able to apply some of these areas for which they only have a theoretical understanding. This approach is intended to encourage participants to focus on one topic at a time, as permitted by their professional lives. Most participants will already be practitioners or educators in some field of agriculture or already be HRM consultants and cannot take the time to enroll in a full time program at this time in their careers. Of course, those who would like to be involved in more than one experiential activity are welcome to do so.

Assigned Reading

Participants will read Agricultural Labor Management: Cultivating Personnel Productivity and Helping Others Resolve Differences: Empowering Stakeholders as the main theoretical works. Participants are also encouraged to read other materials. These materials can be found at no cost at http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/ucce50/ag-labor/ 

Virtual Classrooms

Beginning with 2007, we will be offering a number of virtual classroom topics, such as employee selection, performance appraisal, incentive pay, and other topics. In order to participate, individuals need 1) a relatively good internet connection and 2) hook up an inexpensive microphone to their system, such as the one that comes with most computers purchased in the last few years. These seminars will be given in English and Spanish, at different times of the day and week. Anyone who is interested can participate. Participation in these eSeminars is greatly encouraged.   

Electronic Tests

Participant will take a total of 10 electronic tests, two sets of tests for each of five program areas. Tests can be retaken. The purpose of each test is to make sure that you have a thorough theoretical understanding of the materials. A passing score is that of 90%. The good news is that you can re-take the tests anonymously as many times as you wish. These tests are not difficult, but rather, are constructed to emphasize the key points. Even if you score an 90% or better on your first try, you are encouraged to retake the test again and improve your score. Gregorio Billikopf is the only person who will know what your test results are, unless you are taking the course through a different university, in which case your instructor will also be made aware of your scores.

Case Studies

Participants will have the opportunity to respond to a number of case studies, in terms of suggestions of what someone might do under a specific situation. Participants agree to retain confidentiality of these cases.

Honor Code

Participants agree to 1) do independent work, 2) give credit to all sources used, 3) not divulge the name of a cooperator in the written or oral presentations unless they have obtained permission to do so, 4) not share test information with others (whether they are taking the course or not), and 5) report information without making up any data (the only data that needs to be changed, is that which will protect the confidentiality of the cooperator).

Students need to read the following two sources and ask Gregorio if they have any questions or need any clarification:

http://sja.ucdavis.edu/avoid.htm#guidelines

http://sja.ucdavis.edu/a-i.htm  

Participation in Bulletin Board, HR-net, and Skype

An important part of this course will be for participants to interact with others. This can include discussions of class materials or other readings or issues related to agricultural labor management.  Please use your own name in all AG-HRnet and Bulleting Board participations. Minimum requirements are:

·          Bulletin Board: Participants will be required to start at least three threads and answer at least six threads on a topic related to agricultural labor management at http://nature.berkeley.edu/ucce50/7forum/forumdisplay.php?f=4

·          AG-HRnet: Participants will be required to post a minimum of three messages on AG-HRnet.

·          Skype: Participants will be required to have at least three Skype or phone conversations with other participants on a topic related to Agricultural Labor Management.  

Time Period

Participants have one year to complete all assignments from the date of registration. Participants may request a one-time six month extension before their year has expired.

Texts

We will be using the following texts (make sure to use the PDF versions, which are most updated, and for which you will need a recent PDF reader):

Cost

Cost of participation is $60 per person. We apologize that at the moment, we can only accept checks. These should be made out to UC Regents and mailed to:

International Agricultural Labor Management Seminar

c/o Gregorio Billikopf

University of California

3800 Cornucopia Way #A

Modesto, CA 95358

Registration

Please register at;

http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=913

Certificate

Participants who fulfill all minimum requirements will receive a certificate. Those participants who go beyond the minimum requirements may receive a  certificate that will reflect their outstanding performance in the course.

Grading

Participants will either not pass the course, or pass with either good or outstanding work, conducted in a timely fashion. Participants will be evaluated using the following minimum criteria.

Contact Information

You can contact Gregorio Billikopf in the following ways:

© 2007 by The Regents of the University of California. Used template of Dr. Alan K. Melby's Linguistics 490 Syllabus, Fall Semester 2002, BYU. The syllabus for this Agricultural Labor Management class may be adapted and changed by others for their particular use.