UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Extension educators recently completed a grant-funded project that tackled workforce retention, pesticide safety and food safety challenges for specialty crop farmers.
Led by Linda Falcone, leadership and community vitality extension educator, and Maria Gorgo-Simcox, a bilingual horticulture extension educator, the program addressed issues such as high turnover, labor shortages and compliance with food safety regulations, all compounded by language barriers.
Latinos make up 75% of the agricultural workforce in the U.S., Gorgo-Simcox noted, with many transitioning from employees to managers and owners. Yet, Spanish-language continuing education opportunities remain scarce.
To address this need, the team developed bilingual, research-based training to help reduce turnover, protect worker safety and minimize contamination risks in fresh produce. These efforts support farm profitability and long-term viability, extension educators noted.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, the project, “Workforce Retention, Leadership, and Food Safety for Next Generation & Diverse Background Producers,” ran from 2021 to 2024.
To increase accessible resources for Spanish-speaking workers and supervisors, the team developed and translated educational materials and workshops into Spanish.
“There are now seven videos about hiring and retention on Penn State Extension’s website in Spanish,” Falcone said.
The initiative exceeded its goals, training 288 farm owners and supervisors in hiring and retention practices with 97.5% reporting that they intend to adopt concepts shared in the training. The workshops, which covered onboarding, mentoring, conflict management and feedback, earned praise from participants for their practicality and relevance.
“If you’re good at mentoring and onboarding employees, they’re likely to stay longer and boost productivity,” Falcone said.
One participant called the workshops “a great primer for new managers to build and support a team for long-term success.”
Food safety training reached 609 participants, including farm supervisors and technicians. The workshops focused on compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act, pesticide safety and minimizing contamination risks. Adoption rates for food safety practices averaged 84%.
Participants reported meaningful changes because of the workshops, including updating farm safety protocols, implementing water testing and improving recordkeeping.
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Participants described the sessions as “very informative” and praised the presenters for their clarity and expertise. One attendee wrote, “Outstanding presenters. Very clear content. Very helpful!”
The pesticide safety courses also received high praise for their thorough instruction. One participant called the instructor “the best teacher I’ve had for a short course in over 15 years.”
Participants across all workshops applauded the program. Comments included: “Good communication is an integral part of working together,” “The speakers are very knowledgeable and generous with their time,” and “These webinars and online classes are convenient during our busy season.”
Falcone noted that this initiative could serve as a model for addressing similar challenges in other agricultural sectors, including poultry and dairy.