The AgriProspects Workforce Development Network is giving land-grant institutions nationwide mini-grants to deliver and expand adult agricultural workforce development. The organization has recently announced the recipients of its first round of 11 grants, which will expand the training available to the public through Agriprospects and fill in gaps in training in farm business coaching, dairy farm safety management, permaculture, among other topics.
Among the recipients is Penn State Extension for its Success Skills in Spanish 4 Ag project, which focuses on workforce development for Spanish-speaking tree-fruit growers and poultry farmers. That project is aimed at increasing production efficiency through agricultural English language training, improving individual and farm safety with increased compliance, and enhancing worker retention and well-being in the tree-fruit and poultry industries.
“Spanish-speaking workers deserve basic training to ensure success and advancement while employed in U.S. farming operations,” said Jeff Hyde, associate dean in the College of Agricultural Sciences and director of Penn State Extension.
Other projects named in the first round were:
- Colorado State University, Agricultural Workforce Development: Building Capacity for Young Adults with Disabilities
- South Dakota State University, Dairy Farm Safety Management: Promoting Biosecurity, Safety, and Hazard Control for Hispanic Workers
- University of Hawaii, Developing Supplemental Courses to Increase Hawaii Farm Revenues
- University of Maryland, Farm Business Coaching: Cultivating Entrepreneurship
- University of Kentucky, Filling Gaps in the Specialty Crop Ag Workforce: A Focus on Minority and Underserved Populations
- University of Kentucky, Growing Kentucky Growers: A Project for Prison Horticulture Education Expansion
- University of Vermont, Farmworker Education Hub
- Utah State University, Permaculture for professionals: Developing pathways for a skilled workforce in regenerative and ecological land management
- Virginia Tech, Leveraging inter-organizational resources to develop multilingual viticultural educational materials and training resources for Virginia farmworkers
- Washington State University, Phase 1 (of 3) Modernization and Expansion of WSU Extension’s “Cultivating Success Sustainable Small Farms Education Program”
The grant effort, led by the Extension Foundation, is supported through the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and aims to enhance access to education, upskilling, and reskilling opportunities, particularly for rural and underserved populations.
For example, Penn State’s grant will aid training for two pilot groups of tree-fruit workers and poultry workers. Both groups will receive training in workforce development and basic conversational and job-related English vocabulary. In addition, the tree-fruit group will learn about integrated pest management and food safety, while the poultry group focuses on biosecurity and poultry handling.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s National Agricultural Workers Survey, approximately 83 percent of farmworkers identify as Hispanic or Latino, and 62 percent are most comfortable conversing in Spanish. Furthermore, 29 percent of farmworkers reported they could not speak English, and 40 percent could not read English.
Project leaders said they hope this training will help Latinos without English fluency enter and achieve success in these industries, support the agricultural industry’s need for trained workers, and contribute to the economic viability of these sectors.
