Farmers

Featured Farmers
What you can do as a farmer
  • Meet with workers and ask them how things are going and what kind of improvements they would like to see. If you have the resources, consider doing this in a more formal way, such as individual interviews or a survey.
  • Encourage transparency by providing workers with employment contracts, personnel manuals and written policies and procedures regarding key issues such as grievances, discipline, promotions, etc.
  • Encourage open decision-making and communication on your farm. Involve workers of all levels in decision-making. Let them know how important their input is to the farm’s success.
  • Hold events such as team-building events, celebrations, meals, and appreciation parties. Make sure the people who work for you know how much you appreciate them and rely on their help!
  • Get to know your workers. Talk with them, ask about their families or have lunch with them. Learn their language. Visit them or their families in their towns and countries of origin.
  • Look at wages of comparable farms in your area to see how you compare. See if your local Cooperative Extension office, Farm Bureau or other grower can point you to agricultural wage and benefit surveys.
  • Help workers locate health and social services resources in the area. Allow outreach workers to come to the farm to provide education, health screenings, etc. Compile a list of service agencies in the area so you can refer workers needing help.
  • Talk to customers and buyers to let them know about the good labor practices on your farm, and show them that they are supporting good labor practices by buying from you.
  • Share resources with workers. See our ‘Resources for Farmworkers’ section for more information.
Fair Trade Certification & Labeling

Learn more about certification and labeling initiatives that address labor conditions (please note that we are not endorsing any of the following certifications).

You can find more information about international efforts to promote fair trade at:

Best Practices in Farm Labor Management

There are a number of ways you can improve labor conditions on the farm, a number of which are relatively easy and low cost. Based on interviews with farm employees, some of the main ones are: (For more information on how you can implement these best practices, read the short manual, “Positive Practices in Farm Labor Management,” which focuses on low-cost ways to keep your employees happy and your production profitable.)

  1. Respectful Treatment
  2. Fair Compensation
  3. Year-Round Employment
  4. Traditional Benefits
  5. Non-Traditional Benefits
  6. Safe and Healthy Workplace
  7. Direct Hiring and Recruitment
  8. Team-Based Management Structures
  9. Open Communication and Decision Making
  10. Opportunities for Professional Development and Advancement

The following LOW COST strategies are described in the ‘Positive Practices’ manual:

  • Respectful treatment
  • Regular acknowledgment and appreciation
  • Free food from the farm
  • Personal loans
  • Policies and mechanisms for communication and sharing information
  • Clear grievance procedures
  • Flexible work schedules
  • Safe and healthy work environment
  • Diversity of tasks
  • Allow social services to conduct on-farm outreach
  • Celebrations, team building, and appreciation parties
Resources for farmers