Dairy Managers, Others Attend Hispanic Workforce Management Conference
DAVE LEFEVER
Lancaster Farming Staff
GRANTVILLE (Dauphin Co.)
The Spanish-speaking work
force is growing rapidly on dairy
farms and other agricultural op
erations in the area.
A common experience among
farm managers is that Hispanics
Program Provides Market Opportunities
PHILADELPHIA—Farm to
City has launched its 2003 direct
marketing programs. This Phila
delphia-based organization con
nects farmers to customers
through farmer’s markets, CSAs,
and its Winter Harvest program.
Last year, Farm to City’s pro
grams resulted in more than half
a million dollars in sales by
southeast Pennsylvania and
south Jersey producers.
Farmer’s Markets. This year
Farm to City plans to operate 10
fanners’s markets located in
neighborhoods throughout Phila
delphia. These outdoor markets
will start in late May and early
June and run weekly through Oc
tober, some into November. Sev
eral are established markets
needing specialty growers. Others
are new markets this year seek
ing vegetable grower and or
chards. Farmers come to these
markets to sell what they pro
duce.
Some of the markets will fol
low the example of the very suc
cessful Girard and 13th Street
market that matched produce
growers with a barbecue stand.
This year, if all goes as planned,
there will be five locations for this
type of market and there is room
at all of them for vegetable grow
ers and orchards.
Bob Pierson, program director
of Farm to City, observes, “the
smell of chicken cooking in a
neighborhood is a very strong
draw. Our Girard and 13th Street
market is the most successful
market we have ever opened in
Philadelphia.” Pierson has
planned and operated
14 farmers markets
since 1996.
One of the markets
in West Philadelphia
and another in Ger
mantown offer indoor
space year-round in
addition to an outdoor
market during the
warmer months. These
markets need produc
ers growing a wide
range of fresh and pre
pared foods to sell
year-round
• CSA services.
Farm to City also of
fers support to CSA
fanners to help them
get a following in Phil
adelphia. “When we
got started in 2000,”
Pierson said, “there
were very few CSA
shares sold in Phila
delphia because it was
very difficult for farm
ers to market them.”
In 2001, Farm to City
helped farmers sell
240 shares; last year
313 shares were sold,
more than 10 times the
number of shares de
livered before 2000.
•Winter Harvest.
“Right now, it’s Win
ter Harvest time,” said
Pierson. Winter Har
vest is a buying club in
which its members -
order from a list of 220
locally-produced items
for weekly delivery to
eight Philadelphia
area communities.
“Winter Harvest is a
are loyal and hard-working, but
tend to be reluctant when it
comes to accepting supervisory
roles.
That was one of the main top
ics addressed this week at a con
ference called “Managing the
Hispanic Workforce” put on
jointly by Penn State and Cornell
Universities.
RASA board member Paul Hauser points out the virtues
of his peaches to customers at the South and Passyunk
Farmers’ Market in Philadelphia.
way for all that good food from
nearby farms to come into the
city when the farmer’s markets
and CSAs are shut down for the
season,” Pierson said. About 20
producers participate in Winter
Harvest.
Farm to City is cooperating
with the Pennsylvania Associa-
Randall G. Renninger
Certified Public Accountant
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About 90 people attended, in
cluding dairy farmers, mushroom
growers, and packing plant rep
resentatives.
Jorge Estrada, a native of
Guatemala and president of a
leadership development firm
based in Washington state, was
one of the speakers throughout
the two-day conference. Estrada
tion of Sustainable Agriculture,
Foodßoutes, and Philadelphia
food advocacy groups on a
“Buy Local, Buy Fresh” ""
campaign, which will be
applied to farmer’s mar
kets, CSAs, and sales to
restaurants this spring and
summer.
said that he has assisted in a vari
ety of cases where Hispanics were
successfully promoted into man
ager positions on North Ameri
can farms.
“Yes, it is happening,” Estrada
said. He calls his program “De
veloping Supervisors from With
in.”
Herd expansions and the
growth of the workforce are mak
ing it increasingly necessary for
employees to step into superviso
ry roles, Estrada pointed out.
Grooming workers for manage
ment positions can also allow
greater flexibility in the farm op
eration and in lifestyles.
“Don’t you want to have a
family life? Don’t you want some
vacation time?” Estrada asked,
naming some of the reasons for
dividing management responsi
bilities on a farm operation.
Estrada and other speakers at
the conference explored some of
the cultural dynamics that can
help or hinder in managing His
panic workers and coaching po
tential leaders for supervisory
roles.
Angelo Mino, a native of Ecua
dor, spoke on the high value
placed by many Hispanic work
ers on their families, native coun
try, and beliefs. He urged em
ployers to welcome, respect, and
support Hispanic workers by con
necting in these areas, and by
providing them with constant
learning opportunities.
Large dairies often require a huge labor force. How do
dairies deal with communication management issues
involving Hispanic labor? What are the challenges other
producers have faced and what are their suggestions? See
the next issue of Lancaster Farming's Dairy Plus, geared
toward large-scale dairy operations, in the Feb. 15 issue.
Also scheduled: news from the Penn State Hispanic Workforce Management
Conference and what's required for the survival of the Northeast dairy
industry.
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Jorge Estrada helps farm
managers groom Spanish
speaking employees for su
pervisory roles.
“If you want to keep me forev
er working for you, create a chal
lenge for me,” said Mino, presi
dent of Summit Counseling
Services, Lenexa, Kan.
Other speakers included
Thomas Maloney and David
Grusenmeyer of Cornell, Richard
Ship and Vinton Smith of Penn
State, and attorneys who spoke
on handling naturalization issues
with Hispanic workers.
More reports on the conference
and on Hispanic workers on
dairy farms is scheduled for Lan
caster farming's Feb. 15 issue of
Dairy Plus.