Interview with Superfresh Growers' Kristin Kershaw

Kristin Snapp of Domex Superfresh Growers has orchard work in her blood. She was just eleven years old when her dad told her to drive his truck....without any instructions other than to keep it out of the Roza Canal. At the age of twelve her first job was pruning fireblight out of a block of baby pear trees. The trees are no longer alive, but Kristin went on to have a big impact on the apple industry in eastern Washington, including serving as the Chair of the Government Affairs Committee of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association.

Customer StoriesHannah FreemanJanuary 26, 2018Workforce Surveys

5 Steps to Prevent a #MeToo Problem in Your WorkPlace

As the #MeToo movement continues to spread and more survivors give voice to their experiences with sexual harassment, everyone from movie executives to farm owners are asking: How can we prevent this from happening in the future?

Guides and TipsHannah FreemanJanuary 11, 2018Workforce Training

Farmworker Wages up 3% in 2017; Average Now $12.51

On November 16, 2017, the USDA released its October 2017 survey data detailing that average wages for all hired workers are up 3% year-over-year and the national average for field worker wages is now $12.51/hour.

Ag Industry InsidersGuest UserJanuary 3, 2018HR Onboarding

Interview with Stemilt

West Mathison started his career in agriculture at the age of six, pulling weeds in the Stemilt nursery. As he grew up, he gained experience running crews in the orchards and supporting human resources during college.

Customer StoriesHannah FreemanDecember 19, 2017Workforce SurveysComment

Interview with Andrew & Williamson

Andrew & Williamson’s Amalia Lommel has been deeply involved in agricultural human resources issues during her 24 years at the company. As the Director of Social Responsibility, she's helped lead cultural change initiatives as well as the company's involvement with EFI and Fair Trade USA. A&W grows berries in California and Mexico and grows tomatoes and cucumbers in Mexico. Amalia shared with us some of the insights she's gained as A&W blazes new trails in human resources management.

Customer StoriesHannah FreemanDecember 14, 2017Workforce Surveys

What's your Net Promoter Score?

The Net Promoter Score was introduce by Fred Reicheld in 2003 after several years of customer satisfaction research. Reicheld found that not only could you reduce your customer satisfaction surveys to a single question, but you could also use it to predict growth. “In fact, in most of the industries that I studied, the percentage of customers who were enthusiastic enough to refer a friend or colleague—perhaps the strongest sign of customer loyalty—correlated directly with differences in growth rates among competitors.”

Guides and TipsHannah FreemanDecember 1, 2017Workforce Surveys

A Replacement for H2A?

The Agricultural Guestworker Act (AG Act or H2C) would replace the H2A program and allow an additional 500,000 non-residents to work year-round on US farms and ranches.

Ag Industry InsidersHannah FreemanNovember 15, 2017HR Onboarding

Six Questions: How to detect sexual harassment?

On Saturday, as sexual harassment continued to make national headlines, the Yakima Herald brought the issue home to the agricultural community in WA state. The article pointed out the challenges with farmworkers reporting harassment, and mentioned some resources for prevention

Guides and TipsHannah FreemanNovember 13, 2017Workforce TrainingComment

Six Questions Every Ag Employer Should Ask Themselves About Sexual Harassment (Part 1)

With a new bombshell dropping nearly every day implicating celebrities, politicians and business leaders in sexual harassment, employers may be starting to break a sweat. Agriculture isn’t exempt. In fact, female farmworkers are especially vulnerable with 60 percent reporting having experienced sexual harassment.

Guides and TipsHannah FreemanNovember 10, 2017Workforce Training

Labor Shortage Strategies: Satisfy, Stretch, Substitute, Supplement

A report in Rural Migration News describes the four strategies agricultural employers are using to address the labor shortage: satisfy, stretch, substitute, and supplement.

Guides and TipsHannah FreemanOctober 25, 2017HR Onboarding

$12+ per hour, the new normal?

As of April 2017, only six states in the US report average farmworker wages below $12/hour--AR, LA, MS, GA, SC and AL. This USDA wage survey data includes field workers, livestock workers, and other roles like tractor drivers. For all farm labor, the US average is now $13.23/hour.

Ag Industry InsidersHannah FreemanOctober 18, 2017HR Onboarding

How to text 1000 farmworkers in less than a minute

Did you know that about 8.6 trillion text messages are sent each year? That includes 6 billion per day in the US alone. And farmworkers are no exception to the texting trend.

Guides and TipsHannah FreemanOctober 16, 2017Workforce Communication