Panel Discussion: Tried-and-True Strategies to Attract and Retain Great Employees

Register here for this free in-person discussion at the Sunderland Public Library, part of CISA’s winter farmer-to-farmer series on employee management.

Finding, hiring, and maintaining a great crew of employees is no small feat, and for farms and food businesses in particular it can require a lot of creativity to create desirable positions with long-term potential. Hear from a panel of local farm and food business managers about the strategies they’ve used to attract and retain employees, including offering valuable benefits (like health insurance stipends and gear stipends), creating pathways for growth and skill-building, offering winter work, and finding ways to appeal to the many different reasons potential employees are drawn to working in our local food system.

We’ll hear from a mix of farm/food business owners and longtime employees, including Ethan Markham from Old Friends Farm, Lilly Israel from Kitchen Garden Farm, David Fisher from Natural Roots, and Annie Myers from Myers Produce. Together, the panelists will speak to a range of practices that support employee satisfaction, promote positive work culture, and encourage employees to return season after season.

A light dinner will be provided, and there will be time for mingling and continued conversation after the panel. Please register by 3/8 so that we can have an accurate count for food.