Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development

08/26/2026

Virtual Office Hour Scheduled for Sept 16: Pest Management in Farm-Provided Employee Housing

Our next Ag Workforce Central Virtual Office Hour will focus on Pest Management in Farm-Provided Employee Housing. Susannah Krysko, Housing IPM Specialist with Cornell Integrated Pest Management (IPM) will highlight new Spanish-language resources available from IPM, provide practical advice for managing rodent issues, and introduce the Farm-Provided Employee Housing Pest Control Checklist.

Event Details
Topic: Pest Management in Farm-Provided Employee Housing
Date: September 16, 12-1 PM EST
Host: Jay Canzonier, Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development
Guest Panelist: Susannah Krysko, Housing IPM Specialist, Cornell Integrated Pest Management

Participants are encouraged to submit their questions in advance and share what pests they have a particular interest in learning more about.

Advance registration is required. Register here: https://cornell.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UwVIgjKyRSeW5lt58qX0UA

08/19/2026

TOMORROW: VIDA Live Discussion at 7 PM ET-How to Start a Small Business in Your Home Country

Have you ever dreamed of starting a small business in your home country? Whether you hope to invest in the future, support your family, or create an additional source of income, this session will provide practical ideas and strategies to help you turn your goals into reality.

Our featured speakers will be Mildred Alvarado, PhD, from the Cornell Small Farms Program and Jose Aguilera from Four Leaf Farm

Mildred Alvarado, PhD, is an Extension Associate who leads the Equity Farm Futures Initiative and the Futuro en Ag program. Born and raised on a small farm in Honduras, Mildred has more than 20 years of experience helping agricultural entrepreneurs in the United States and Latin America. She has personally built small businesses in several countries and will share practical lessons about investing, entrepreneurship, and creating opportunities even with limited resources.

José Luis Aguilera, grew up on a farm in Michoacán, Mexico, where his family cultivated corn and beans and raised livestock. After moving to New York State, he spent more than two decades working across the agricultural sector, gaining experience in apple orchards, diversified vegetable farms, and wineries. In 2024, José combined his lifelong agricultural knowledge and hands-on experience to launch his own commercial broiler operation. Since then, he has steadily expanded production while building valuable connections and collaborations with other local farmers and strengthening his role within the regional agricultural community.

Date: Thursday, August 20
Time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time

This program is delivered exclusively in the Spanish language.

A link to join the live discussion can be found on our VIDA webpage here:

One Year Skills Series for Hispanic Farm Workers Brought to you by Cornell Agricultural Workforce and Development (CAWD) , the Small Farms Program, NY Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (N…

08/11/2026

Join us this Thursday! 12 PM ET: H-2A Update for Dairy Farms and Year-Round Employers Webinar

Our next Ag Workforce Central Virtual Office Hour will focus on the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Program and critical information for dairy farms and other year-round employers. In June 2026 the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a policy memo which clarified that dairy farms can participate in the H-2A program following the long-standing requirement that the employment be of a “temporary or seasonal nature”. Panelists will dive into the practical implications of the USCIS policy memo and key takeaways for dairy farms, pending federal legislation and the potential impact for year-round employers as well as critical considerations every employer thinking about participating in the H-2A program needs to know. Participants are encouraged to submit their questions in advance.

Topic: H-2A Update for Dairy Farms and Year-Round Employers
Date: August 13, 12-1 PM EST
Guest Panelists:
John Hollay, President and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE)
Chris Schulte, partner at Fisher Phillips and trusted advisor to H-2A employers nationwide
Richard Stup and Lucas Smith of Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development Registration

Advance registration is required. Register here: https://cornell.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_FIyWTBLVTIGlOmD2CTRpUQ #/registration

07/08/2026

New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH) is currently recruiting for a Bilingual Agricultural Safety Educator position. This role plays an important part in supporting the health, safety, and well-being of New York's agricultural communities.

View information here: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:us:1a6cd702-6984-436d-84ca-64dcfadb4687

For more information, please contact:
Brittany Shultis
[email protected]

07/08/2026

We welcome all Ag Supervisory Leadership alumni to join us on July 22 for our ASL Alumni Engagement Webinar. We sent emails today to all participants with a registration link that is available exclusive to alumni.

Agricultural Supervisory Leadership-Continuing Education (ASL-CE)
Kickoff Webinar
July 22, 2026 at 3:00 PM ET

Join us for discussion about how one graduate of Cornell’s Ag Supervisory Leadership certificate program is using her skills and developing other leaders in her business. We will also engage with you, past and current ASL participants, to get your input on future programs and how we can bring more value to help you in your careers!

Panelists:
• Richard Stup, Director of Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development
•Jeanette Kreher Heberling, Director of Employee Experience at Kreher

Questions or didn't receive an invite? email [email protected]

06/15/2026

Join us for our LIVE DISCUSSION this Thursday at 7 PM ET for our next VIDA Life Skills Program (presented in Spanish), featuring guest speaker, Rodolfo Ceja Garcia. Topic: Communication Skills at Work (Understanding the Workplace)

LEARN MORE/ACCESS LINK HERE: https://agworkforce.cals.cornell.edu/vida-program/

This month, we are honored to welcome special guest speaker Rodolfo Ceja Garcia, known as Rudy, who will share his experiences, leadership journey, and perspective on workplace communication in agriculture.

We first met Rudy through one of our Spanish Agricultural Supervisory Leadership (ASL-SP) courses and immediately recognized his experience, wisdom, and gifted leadership abilities. His way of leading others stood out because of his calm approach to conflict, his respect for people, and his ability to stay focused on the bigger purpose and mission of the farm.

TRANSLATED:

Únase a nuestra DISCUSIÓN EN VIVO este jueves a las 7:00 p. m. (hora del Este) para nuestro próximo Programa VIDA de Habilidades para la Vida (presentado en español), con la participación especial de nuestro invitado, Rodolfo Ceja García.

**Tema:** Habilidades de Comunicación en el Trabajo (Entendiendo el Lugar de Trabajo)

**OBTENGA MÁS INFORMACIÓN / ACCEDA AL ENLACE AQUÍ:**
https://agworkforce.cals.cornell.edu/vida-program/

Este mes, nos sentimos honrados de dar la bienvenida a nuestro invitado especial, Rodolfo Ceja García, conocido como Rudy, quien compartirá sus experiencias, su trayectoria de liderazgo y su perspectiva sobre la comunicación en el lugar de trabajo dentro de la agricultura.

Conocimos a Rudy por primera vez a través de uno de nuestros cursos de Liderazgo para Supervisores Agrícolas en Español (ASL-SP), y de inmediato reconocimos su experiencia, sabiduría y extraordinarias habilidades de liderazgo. Su manera de dirigir a los demás destacó por su enfoque sereno para resolver conflictos, su respeto hacia las personas y su capacidad para mantenerse enfocado en el propósito y la misión general de la finca.

06/15/2026

Registration closes for ASL102 and ASL105-SP this Thursday, June 18 at 5 PM. Our summer classes are filling up fast! With over 20 learners registered in each course, we're officially hosting two of our largest summer cohorts ever. So many great minds in one season! Be sure to lock in your space now to improve your supervisory skills this summer.

Learn more at

Courses now available: ASL102: Organizing Work for High-Quality Results Organizing Work for High Quality Results teaches farm supervisors how to develop clear expectations and delegate effectively.…

06/03/2026

Next Virtual Office Hour Webinar details below!👇

Date: June 10
Time: 12:00 PM ET
Topic: Using TN Visas to Address Labor Needs on Dairy Farms

In honor of June being National Dairy Month, our next Ag Workforce Central Virtual Office Hour will focus on the TN visa and its use as a labor strategy for dairy farms. The TN visa program can be used to bring skilled, non-seasonal foreign employees to fill critical positions on the dairy. Panelists will provide an overview of the TN visa program, its use in the dairy industry, and share practical experiences and tips.

Guest panelists:
-Jennie Everson, TN Visa Specialist at the Rochester-based workforce management company Agri-Placement Services, Inc., with nearly ten years of experience helping employers utilize the TN visa.
-Shane St. Cyr, partner at Adirondack Farms in Northern New York, who has used the TN visa program to fill key roles on his dairy.
-J. Farfan, a Mexican veterinarian and herdsman working on a dairy in Western New York, with experience both as a TN visa holder and in recruiting other TN visa employees.

Advance registration is required. Register here: https://cornell.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tRTcYx_kRie2hIp1VVHQQg

06/01/2026

June is Dairy Month, making it the perfect time to invest in the people who help drive your farm’s success. Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development recently launched *two* Agricultural Supervisory Leadership (ASL) courses designed to strengthen supervisory and leadership skills on the farm. While scholarship opportunities are available for eligible dairy producers, these courses are open to all agricultural professionals and are relevant across a wide range of agricultural operations.

The two courses available are:
ASL102: Organizing Work for High-Quality Results
ASL105-SP: Capacita y entrena al personal (Employee Development and Training taught in Spanish) NEW COURSE!

Learn more at https://agworkforce.cals.cornell.edu/agricultural-supervisory-leadership-certificate-program/

05/11/2026

VIDA: One Year Skills Series for Hispanic Farm Workers

Note: previous communications listed our live discussion as May 14. There has been an update to the live discussion date. Please join us on May 21 at 7 PM ET.

Format: Online pre-recorded videos and live monthly Zoom sessions
Topic: Understanding and Preventing Addiction
Watch/share the video now.
Session Schedule: Live sessions every third Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m. (May 21)
Languages: All content and discussions in Spanish
Cost: Free of charge
Registration: not required!

Learn more at https://agworkforce.cals.cornell.edu/vida-program/