Employee Management and Training

Employee Management Series

Articles written by Melissa O'Rourke, ISU Extension and Outreach Farm Management Specialist

• Evaluation and selection of job candidates
• The job interview, and what questions can I ask?
• Do we need an employee handbook?
• Put job descriptions to work on your farm
• Assembly of dairy farm job descriptions
• Evaluation and selection of job candidates
• Getting the new employee off to a good start on day one
• Employee eligibility verification - The basics of Form I-9 compliance
• New employee orientation
• Dairy Farm Employee Management: Protecting Your Workers During the Hot Days of Summer

Employee Management Resources

• Job descriptions: The building block of organizations (pdf)
• Farm employee handbook (pdf)
• Farm employment rules and regulations (USDA)
• Examples of job descriptions for major positions on dairy farms (pdf)
• Developing effective standard operating procedures (pdf)
• Standard operating procedures: A writing guide (pdf)
• Top legal issues on the dairy farm - 2014

Farm Labor Webinar Series - "Eye on Employees"

• Farm Management Specialist, Melissa O’Rourke speaks on
  • “Starting the Interview Conversation”
  • "Employee Pitfalls on the Farm"
  • "Employee Handbooks: Getting Started"
• Dairy Field Specialist, Larry Tranel speaks on “Labor or Robots, It’s Not An Either Or Question”