Agricultural Personnel Management Program
University of California

---

Funding for projects was based on recommendations of technical advisors who were selected ad hoc and reviewed proposals anonymously. Highest priority was given to projects that promised to yield guidance for decision making by farmers, farm labor contractors, and others who directly manage agricultural labor. Such projects addressed either: (1) basic personnel management processes (such as job design, recruitment and hiring, pay and benefit administration), or (2) related farm labor topics of current concern (such as workers' compensation, housing, technological change).

Analysis of Farmer-FLC Contract Relationships. Dawn Thilmany, Graduate Research Assistant, J. Edward Taylor, Associate Professor, and Philip L. Martin, Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, UC Davis. The investigators explored the busine ss relationships between farmers and labor contractors to identify and describe successful working arrangements. The final report by Thilmany was published in March 1995. Drs. Thilmany and Martin have also presented findings in an article, "Farm lab or contractors play new roles in agriculture," in California Agriculture, Volume 49, Number 5, September-October 1995.

Assisting Southeast Asian Farmers in Understanding Compensation Regulations and Developing Record Systems. Stephen R. Sutter, Area Personnel Management Farm Advisor, UCCE, Fresno. Through a translator, the project extended information on employee c ompensation and other aspects of human resource management to Southeast Asian refugee farmers. A total of 269 farmers were contacted at field locations and were told about coming meetings and the availability of business information from UC Cooperative Ex tension. Two refugee farmer meetings were conducted with interpreters. Results of the project were reported in Labor Management Decisions, Volume 2, Number 1, Winter-Spring 1992.

Bunk Dwelling Prototype for Seasonal Farm Workers. Patricia Harrison, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Design, UC Davis, and Gary Johnston, County Director, UCCE, Stockton. Architectural plans and a physical model have been develope d for an attractive, durable unit for housing seasonal agricultural workers. The unit is designed to be produced, procured, and transported from site to site at a reasonable cost to growers, governmental housing providers, and labor contractors. Grants fr om the APMP and the DANR Special Grants Program permitted completion of significant early stages of the project; additional funds are being sought from other sources for final phases.

California Findings from the National Agricultural Workers Survey. Susan M. Gabbard, Aguirre International, San Mateo. The purpose of the project, co-sponsored by the APMP and the U.S. Department of Labor, was to analyze and disseminate the Califor nia portion of results from the National Agricultural Workers Survey. The California report was published in April 1993.

A Comparison of Management, Hiring, and Compensation Practices of Direct-Hire Growers and Farm Labor Contractors. Jeffrey M. Perloff, Professor, Agricultural and Resource Economics, Berkeley; Suzanne Vaupel, Research Agricultural Economist, Sacrame nto; and Stephen R. Sutter, Farm Advisor, UCCE, Fresno. Questions considered were (1) why some growers hire workers directly and others use FLCs, and (2) what differences exist between growers and FLCs in management of workers, quality of work done, and c ost to grower. The final report was published in December.

Creating Employment Alternatives for Timber Industry Millworkers Facing Job Displacement Due to New or Impending Shifts in Legislative Policies. Peter C. Passof, County Director, UCCE, Ukiah, Edward J. Blakely, Professor, City and Regional Planning , Berkeley, and Donald Nelson, Timber Industry Labor Consultant, Fort Bragg. Community conferences and surveys addressed: (1) how mill managers and organized labor can redefine jobs and coordinate mechanisms to operate efficiently and provide a good quali ty of worklife, and (2) how managers can equitably implement a transition to reduced employment and mitigate difficulties for displaced workers. The final report was published in August 1994.

Decision Making in the Family Business. Amy Lyman, Department of Applied Behavioral Sciences, UC Davis. The investigator presented six case studies showing how family experiences influence business decisions on the family farm, particularly with re gard to personnel management. The resulting booklet was published in February 1993 as Personnel Decisions in the Family Farm Business , DANR Special Publication 3357.

Determinants of Vineyard Pruning Cost. Gregory E. Billikopf, UCCE, Modesto, and Maxwell Norton, Farm Advisor, UCCE, Merced. The study was conducted to learn how cultural and labor management factors affect pruning time and costs. Results of the stu dy were reported in the article "Pay method affects vineyard pruner performance," published in California Agriculture, Volume 46, Number 5, September-October 1992. A full project report is pending.

Development of "Fotonovela" Making Every Dollar Count/Su Dinero Puede Rendir Más. Karen P. Varcoe, Consumer Economics/Management Specialist, Myriam Grajales -Hall, Spanish Broadcast Information Representative, and Connie Costello, Staff Research Associate, University of California, Riverside. The APMP initiated and supported the writing, illustration, and publication of a bilingual booklet for farm workers on management of personal finances. The initial printing of 15,000 copies w as distributed through employers and agencies within the first three months of publication in February 1992. APMP funded printing of an additional 25,000 copies in June 1992 and provided $3,000 to assist in another reprint in June 1993.

Development of a GISOs Quick Reference Guide for Agricultural Employers. Stephen R. Sutter, Area Personnel Management Farm Advisor, UC Cooperative Extension, Fresno County, and George Daniels, Farm Employers Labor Service, Sacramento. The project r esulted in publication of a guide containing all General Industry Safety Orders (GISOs) that pertain to agricultural employers, including such sections as Accident and Illness Prevention, Medical Provisions and Field Sanitation, Transportation, Hazardous and Related Material Usage, Agricultural Equipment, and Job Tasks. Completed July 1994.

Educational Video on Mixtec Farm Workers in California. Stefano Varese, Professor, Native American Studies, Davis; James I. Grieshop, CE Specialist, Applied Behavioral Sciences, Davis; John Reed, Production Manager, Instructional Television, Davis. The purpose of the video, and related printed materials, is to increase understanding of the Mixtec farm workers in California among employers and state and local agencies who work with them. Completed July 1993.

Educational Video on Selection of Agricultural Employees. Marcia Ceesay and Guadalupe Sandoval, Agricultural Workers' Health Centers, Stockton, in cooperation with Gregory E. Billikopf, Farm Advisor, UCCE, and Harry Stroble, Production Director, Vi sual Media, UC Davis. A 1-hour video, A Systematic Approach to Employee Selection, was produced.

Effects of Pay Basis on Results of Leaf Removal for Canopy Management in San Joaquin Valley Vineyards. James J. Stapleton, IPM Advisor, Parlier; Kathleen M. Kelley, Farm Advisor, UCCE, Modesto; and William W. Barnett, IPM Advisor, Parlier. The stud y compared costs and pruning quality of leaf removal by workers paid per vine with those paid hourly as well as leaf removal by machine.

Employee Incentive Pay in Agriculture. Gregory Encina Billikopf, Area Personnel Management Farm Advisor, UC Cooperative Extension, Stanislaus County.The project identified advantages and disadvantages of pay for performance and other types of ince ntive pay programs in agriculture, the types of incentives used in agriculture, causes of success or failure, new and creative uses of incentive pay programs, and dollar gains or losses resulting from use of incentive programs. Findings were reported in " Pay method affects vineyard pruner performance," by Gregory Billikopf and Maxwell Norton, in California Agriculture, Volume 46, Number 5, September-October 1992.

Examining and Facilitating Use of the Pesticide Safety Training Tool. Patrick Marer, Pesticide Training Coordinator, and Melanie Zavala, Farmworker Pesticide Safety Training Coordinator, IPM Education and Publications, UC Davis. The investigators d eveloped a booklet and user's guide to complement the pesticide safety training tool La loteria de los pesticidas. The purpose was to improve both the understanding of on-farm worker training processes and use of the specific training tool.

Growers' Decisions to Hire Labor Contractors and Custom Harvesters. Suzanne Vaupel, Research Agricultural Economist, Sacramento, in cooperation with Kaimanu A. Francisco, formerly an APMP Farm Advisor. The study was conducted to gather background i nformation on growers' experiences with farm labor contractors and custom harvesters and to test the feasibility of gathering such information through a mail survey. A project report summary was published in Labor Management Decisions, Volume 1, Nu mber 2, Fall 1991, and the full report was published in January 1992.

Legal Research for Publication on Agricultural Labor Laws. Daniel L. Egan, Boalt Hall School of Law, Berkeley, performed the legal research and worked with Howard Rosenberg on a major revision of a 1985 guide to laws affecting agricultural employme nt. The resulting Labor Management Laws in California Agriculture , ANR Publication 21404, was published in November 1990.

Legal Research for Revision of Labor Management Laws in California Agriculture. The Second Edition of ANR Publication 21404, by Howard R. Rosenberg, Valerie J. Horwitz, and Daniel L. Egan, is a complete revision of the 1990 edition. Published Octob er 1995.

Survey of California Farm Employers. Philip L. Martin, Professor, and J. Edward Taylor, Assistant Professor, Agricultural Economics, UC Davis. Support was provided for entry and analysis of data from a survey to assess the effect of immigration ref orm on the California farm labor market. Survey results were published in California Agriculture, Volume 44, Number 1, January-February 1990.

Assessing Effectiveness of Skills Training for Almond Shaker Operators . Stephen R. Sutter and Mark W. Freeman, Farm Advisor, UCCE, Fresno. Project objectives are to assess the effectiveness of skills training for almond shaker operators and to ide ntify potential obstacles to successful training as well as means of overcoming them.

An Assessment for Enhancement of Labor and Wage Law Compliance Among Santa Maria District Strawberry Growers. Louie H. Valenzuela, Area Farm Advisor, UCCE, Santa Maria. Project objectives are to determine which labor laws are being violated most fr equently, and why, and to develop an educational program to lower noncompliance and provide personnel management information.

Enhancing Women's Participation in Family Farm Management. Amy Lyman, Applied Behavioral Sciences, UC Davis. A publication resulting from this project will present six case studies about women who manage agricultural personnel. Each case discusses a manager's organizational context, what her job entails, how she came to the position (whether through family, formal education, background of related jobs, happenstance, or a combination), what she experiences as a woman that is different from what a ma n would, and what she aspires to.

Farm Labor in the San Joaquin Valley Citrus Industry. Juan Vicente Palerm, Associate Professor, and Fred Krissman, Ph.D. Candidate, Anthropology, UC Santa Barbara. The purpose of the study is to document the lasting effects on the citrus industry l abor force of immigration reform, years of drought, and the freeze of late 1990.

The Impact of Wages, Benefits, and Working Conditions on Farm Worker Retention. Professor Jeffrey M. Perloff, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, and Susan M. Gabbard, Aguirre International, San Mateo, CA. Using data fro m the National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS), the researchers developed a statistical model showing how the probability of retention varies with given dollar changes in wages and benefits for various types of employees. Publication of the final repor t is pending.

Meeting the Challenges of HIV/AIDS in the Agricultural Workplace. Stephen R. Sutter, UCCE, Fresno County. An HIV/AIDS educational reference, example paycheck enclosures, and resource directory will be developed and regional seminars conducted to he lp agricultural employers recognize the significance of the disease to personnel management decisions and understand their options in dealing with issues it raises, especially as constrained by law.

Multi-Media Database and Regional Library of Agricultural Safety and Health Materials. Richard Cavaletto, Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Engineering, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. A database of more than 2,000 agricultural safety and health materials from industry, educational institutions, and government agencies has been created, and a collection of many such materials has been assembled for public use. Means for maintaining and providing electronic ac cess to the database are under development.

Potential Effects of Modified Tools for Citrus Harvest Production and Workers. Stephen R. Sutter and Mark Freeman, UCCE, Fresno County. The objectives are to assess how using modified harvesting tools, such as mechanical clippers, modified ladders, and smaller sacks, affects worker skill requirements and production outcomes (efficiency, worker fatigue, stem-end damage) in citrus harvest. Additional purposes are to study worker acceptance of modified tools and means of reducing fruit damage through the use of different tools and educational methods.

Project to Assist Agricultural Employers in Developing Job Descriptions. Stephen R. Sutter, UCCE, and George Daniels, Farm Employers Labor Service. Model job descriptions have been developed for such positions as farm manager, supervisor, field for eman, equipment operator, irrigator, and general laborer. These examples will be published in a booklet., which will also include advice for agricultural employers on developing their own job descriptions

A Training Video to Reduce Mechanical Damage in Harvest and Handling of Sweet Cherries. Joseph A. Grant, Farm Advisor, UC Cooperative Extension, San Joaquin County, and James F. Thompson, Extension Agricultural Engineering Specialist, UC Davis. The investigators have produced a training video, in English, on safe picking and handling practices that help reduce mechanical damage to sweet cherries. A Spanish-language video is now in production, and the researchers will report on the process and effec ts of its use.

Update of Selected Safety Orders Affecting Agricultural Employers. Stephen R. Sutter, UCCE, and George Daniels, Farm Employers Labor Service.

Supported Project Reports