Field Notes

Spring 2012 Field Notes

May 01, 2012

Field Notes is published quarterly by the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council. This newsletter is two-fold: to highlight the Council's work and to provide information on agriculture's most pressing human resource challenges.

Table of Contents

Message from the Chair


Spring! The time of year that represents the start of another growing season and much activity for agricultural producers throughout the coming months. This time of year also brings significant changes and new opportunities to the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council as we welcome a new Executive Director to the council, Portia MacDonald-Dewhirst, and bid a fond farewell to Christine Mercier, who is retiring.

Portia comes to CAHRC with a wealth of experience in strategic Human Resource Management consulting within both the private and the not-for-profit sectors. She has worked on the development of useful HR tools, guides, training, and strategies for various sectors and is looking forward to working within the Agriculture community to identify workable solutions to key sector challenges.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Christine Mercier for her contributions to CAHRC over the years she has been with the Council and especially as Executive Director during the past ten months. On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff, I wish her happiness and health on her retirement.

The CAHRC Board of Directors and staff continue to work diligently with agriculture stakeholders to explore how best to serve farmers across Canada. It is our aim to fully understand and meet the unique and priority HR and Training needs of those within various commodity areas. Our vision is to fully serve the agriculture community and become the centre for reliable labour market information, and the access point for customizable solutions related to HR Management and Training. Currently, CAHRC offers a number of important research reports, best practice HR tools, and quality training guides and programs. Those offerings will continue to expand as the organization evolves, and we work to further develop our Agri-HR products and services to best meet industry needs.

Recently, the Council completed several projects that provide farm employers and workers access to resources that can be customized specifically to meet their needs. I invite you to read more about these exciting new tools on our website. Additionally, two new projects began in early March; namely Development of a NOS for the occupation of Senior Manager in Primary Agriculture and the Creating Competency Profiles for On-Farm Energy Subsector Businesses projects. You will be hearing more about these initiatives and how you can contribute to their realization through participation in various activities and focus group planned in the coming months.

I hope you enjoy this issue of Field Notes.  As always, we welcome any feedback you may have about the information provided in this edition or the work of the Council.

On behalf of the CAHRC Board of Directors and staff, I would like to wish everyone a plentiful and abundant season!

Merv Wiseman
Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture

Project Updates


Agricultural HR Toolkit

During the winter months, CAHRC has developed an important resource for the Agriculture industry, an Agricultural HR Toolkit. This product includes a reference guide and customizable tools to support farm organizations across Canada with their Human Resource Management activities. Currently, this product is being “field tested” with agricultural producers and will be available soon.

Agricultural Career Pathways

We are currently in the test phase of the online career pathways resource and will be undertaking the development of a promotional video that will make a debut this summer! Stay tuned for further details as we fine tune this resource.

Work Experience Feasibility Study

The project came to a close on March 30, 2012. The purpose of the project was to examine the feasibility of a national agricultural work experience program that would facilitate matching the skills development needs of potential or current farm workers with the labour needs of farm employers.  We are pleased to provide a final report that encompasses the findings based on consultations with agriculture industry stakeholders. Now that we know what is needed, the next step is to work together! CAHRC is keenly interested in partnering with organizations to establish and assist in the delivery of an on-farm work experience program.  For more information, please visit our website.

NOS for Agricultural Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) partnered with CAHRC to fully analyze the role of Agricultural Occupational Health and Safety Specialists. The purpose of this work was to document the role in terms of both a National Occupational Standard (NOS) and an Essential Skills (ES) profile. These documents were developed through our very rigorous process and have been nationally validated by those who are experts in the role. They are important documents for the Agriculture industry as they support HR Management by clarifying selection requirements and thereby supporting good selection decisions. They also define all training requirements associated with this position. Additionally, these documents can be used to support performance management activities by clarifying performance expectations for those within the role.

If you are interested in obtaining these documents to support your organization, please contact The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) by email: info@casa-acsa.ca or by calling 1- 877-452-2272 or (204) 452-2272.

What's New!


Creating Competency Profiles for Energy Subsector Businesses

CAHRC is pleased to announce a new project called “Creating Competency Profiles for Energy Subsector Businesses.” As you may be aware, farmers are continually seeking out new markets to enhance their business and increase their profits. As the price for energy increases, it also increases the cost of production on the farm. The demand for ‘green’ energy along with the ‘carbon costs’ of non-renewable energy has resulted in an increased interest for manufacturing energy on the farm. In 2010, CAHRC’s New Markets and Future Skills in Agriculture literature review identified three emerging market areas and the competencies required to be successful.  While the project researched both off-farm and on-farm energy oriented production chains, CAHRC’s focus is currently on-farm energy production systems, such as biogas/bio digesters, ethanol, biodiesel, and biomass production.

The development of this project will include the following tools:

  • Competency profiles outlining the skills and knowledge required to integrate on-farm energy production systems;
  • Self-assessment tools that enable farmers to evaluate their skills and knowledge regarding the integration of on-farm energy production systems;
  • Fact-sheets publicizing key competencies related to on-farm energy production systems;
  • A comprehensive report including the aggregated data measuring the proficiency of the sector as it pertains to on-farm energy systems.

For more information on this project, please contact Jade Reeve, Project Manager at 1-866-430-7457, ext. 228, or at reeve@cahrc-ccrha.ca.

 

Notice of Intent to Develop a National Occupational Standard and Essential Skills Profile for the occupation of Senior Manager in Primary Agriculture

CAHRC has received funding to develop a National Occupational Standard and Essential Skills profile for the occupation of Senior Manager in Primary Agriculture.  This occupational standard will correspond to the three new occupations described in the National Occupational Classification 2011: Manager in Agriculture (0821), Manager in Horticulture (0822), and Manager in Aquaculture (0823).

The development of a National Occupational Standard is a voluntary, industry-driven initiative.   An occupational standard defines the scope of an occupation and the knowledge and skills individuals must possess to demonstrate their competence in the field. As a result, an occupational standard can be a valuable industry reference or benchmarking tool that can be used to support the following activities:

  • Development or revision of training programs and learning tools
  • Development of certification programs
  • Development of criteria for prior learning assessment and recognition
  • Establishment of criteria by employers to assist in the selection and training of their employees.

The development of the NOS will involve industry participation in two key activities:

  • Conducting a National Occupational Analysis, a standards development workshop, with experienced agricultural producers from across the country who represent the full range of agriculture in Canada
  • Conducting a review and validation with a broad group of stakeholders, including producers, subject matter experts, educators/trainers and representatives of government/regulatory bodies. This step will involve regional focus groups and online surveys.

If you are interested in participating in the development of the National Occupational Standard or would like more information about this project, please contact Debra Hauer, Project Manager at hauer@cahrc-ccrha.ca.