{"id":12172,"date":"2020-06-26T12:30:25","date_gmt":"2020-06-26T16:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/agriculture\/?p=12172"},"modified":"2020-06-26T13:11:16","modified_gmt":"2020-06-26T17:11:16","slug":"farm-scoop-june-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/agriculture\/2020\/06\/26\/farm-scoop-june-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Farm Scoop – June 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Public and Private Collaboration Assists with Maine Harvest Season Labor Needs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Small Bites are short, informational articles with practical ideas about stress reduction, improved communication, and family well-being. They are written by coaches from UMaine Extension\u2019s Farm Coaching<\/a> team. Farm Coaches are available at no cost to work remotely with farmers and farm families.<\/p>\n

Some farms are led by one person. Some by partners who are also in an intimate relationship. Many farms are led by friends or community members. Some farms are run by family members from different generations and sometimes multiple family units. Leadership and decision making are sometimes collaborative, sometimes top-down, and sometimes completely unclear. Each constellation has its opportunities and most have challenges, too.<\/p>\n

Talking about who does what on the farm and how you make decisions can help involve everyone and can create more clarity if there is confusion or lack of clarity. Organizational charting is a way to record and discuss the leadership \u201cchain of command.\u201d If you have an employee manual, putting an organizational chart in there can save a lot of confusion when someone is seeking the right person to ask a question of.<\/p>\n

It might read something like this:<\/p>\n

At Julietta Farm, we strive for clear communication and efficiency. We offer this basic chart that shows our farm leadership team\u2019s areas of responsibility. Please direct questions and seek further instruction from the person associated with the task you are working on.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

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James<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Scheduling<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Payday & $ stuff<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Ordering supplies<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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deliveries<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Irrigation<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Jackie<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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greenhouse<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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transplanting<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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pigs<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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wholesale<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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harvesting<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Jacklyn<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Food safety<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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packshed<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Tractors & implements<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Farmer\u2019s markets<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Atina Diffley of Organic Farming Works has a very helpful resource<\/a> called \u201cRoles and Responsibilities: Who is Responsible for What.\u201d Want to walk through it with a farm coach? We are happy to have a conversation with the leader(s) of the farm and facilitate a conversation to clarify roles. Reach out to the Farm Coaches<\/a> to set up a time to chat.<\/p>\n

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Public and Private Collaboration Assists with Maine Harvest Season Labor Needs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This month the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) and the Maine Department of Labor (DOL) are teaming up with farmers across Maine to launch\u00a0Farming-For-ME<\/strong>\u00a0(#FarmingForME<\/strong>) an agricultural job recruiting campaign.<\/p>\n

This campaign is aimed to assist the Maine farming community by connecting employers with potential employees through DOL\u2019s existing Maine JobLink labor exchange. We hope that openings can be filled while educating Mainers generally about opportunities in agriculture.<\/p>\n

Maine JobLink is a web-based, federally-funded self-service recruitment solution, allowing employers to:<\/p>\n