Farmers and ranchers: Are you ready to strengthen your labor program? Do you want to create systems that will manage your employment law obligations now and into the future?

These may feel like big questions, but the good news is you have the power to get a handle on your minimum wage, overtime, and workers’ compensation obligations while creating fair and equitable management systems on the farm. You can do all of this and more, and this course is designed to help you do it.

This advanced course supports farmers and ranchers in gaining the legal knowledge and applied skills needed to effectively manage employment liabilities.

You will walk away from this multimedia and producer-focused course having taken action in the areas of:

• Minimum Wage
• Overtime Pay
• Managing the risk of worker injuries
• Workers’ compensation insurance
• Avoiding discrimination in hiring and firing
• Payroll, tax, and paperwork obligations
• Aligning in-kind wage (non-cash) payments with the law
• Classifying workers according to the law (independent contractors, volunteers, and more)

Discover the best practices in farm employment law for YOUR state with our NEW guides!

Our staff attorneys have worked hard to research selected essential employment laws for all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Now farmers and ranchers nationwide can apply our recommended best risk management practices to their state’s unique legal landscape using the Selected Essentials in Farm Employment Law for Every State.

Answer key legal questions for your farm or ranch:

• Is my hiring process discriminatory?
• Is it legal to have interns or volunteers on my farm?
• Am I required to pay overtime?
• How do I manage the risks of worker injuries?
• Is it legal to pay workers with vegetables and housing?

Bonus content:

• Handling the form I-9
• Meal and rest break rules
• Legal, financial, and ethical considerations for the H-2A agricultural work program

The most thorough farm employment law course you’ll find:

• Take action in real-time through targeted, printable worksheets
• Gain crucial knowledge about your state’s essential employment rules (our staff attorneys have done the research so you don’t have to!)
• Build legal competence and confidence with guided discovery through videos, guides, and online content

Course requirements

• Active Farm Commons membership
• Broadband internet connection with a minimum speed of 5Mbps (recommended)
• Desktop browser: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge
• Mobile browser: iOS Safari, Chrome, Samsung Internet

Note: The course platform is not supported on Internet Explorer, Chromium, and Linux web browsers. You will see an error message if attempting to access the course on these browsers.

This course is suitable for farmers and ranchers with any business experience. However, those with at least one year of experience who are able to conduct an assessment of their business and work through tangible assignments to improve current risk management systems will benefit most from this course.