This interview is part of the Farm Labor Dashboard's "Labor on Tap" series of conversations with women farmers who have been successfully leading staff for a number of years. Topics range from tangible, practical employee recruitment and management strategies to bigger picture philosophical advice, insights and inspiration.
Name: Amanda Andrews
Farm Name: Tamarack Hollow Farm
Location: Plainfield, Vermont
Years farming: 17
Years managing staff: 13
Website: tamarackhollowfarm.com
About: Amanda Andrews grows seven acres of certified organic vegetables for local and regional wholesale markets on her farm in central Vermont with her partner and their two children. She worked on farms for three years before starting her own business and considers her hiring and training practices to be the most important community building activity on her farm.
FLD: What advice would you give a fellow woman farmer about the decision to become an employer and take on staff? What did you wish you knew when you started?
AA: Becoming an employer is a huge responsibility, both legally and ethically. Training, managing employees, processing payroll, workmans’ comp insurance, quarterly payroll reports, etc. will take away from your time managing your farm operation and most employees will not work as hard as you do. They are not a substitute for your labor–and this part is important– they should not be expected to be!
Yes, try to inspire them, but remember the farm is your dream, not theirs. Yes, there are times when it is important to hustle, but don’t expect them to work endless hours at minimum wage to build your dream farm. Take the time to know your systems and write them down (SOPs) before expecting other people to put them into practice.
Also, figure out your lynchpins! On my farm, I grow an unusual mix of vegetables and my accounts have very high standards; therefore I strive to always be present for harvest and I always do all the wash/pack myself/ This avoids conflict as I know it is a sensitive point for the farm so I manage it myself.
FLD: What advice would you give someone hiring their first employee?
AA: Make sure your personalities match! You will be spending a lot of time together when you are mentally and physically stressed. If your personalities are not a match it will only exacerbate your stress and that is not fair to the employee.
Do an in-person interview, check references, and take time to reflect. If the two of you are not a fit, politely tell them you are going in a different direction with hiring and let them find the farm that is a fit for them. There are plenty of fish in the sea!
Other advice: have clear job descriptions and SOPs! It will help avoid employer-employee conflict down the road.
"Yes, try to inspire [employees], but remember the farm is your dream, not theirs."
Amanda Andrews
FLD: Recruitment: How did you find your employees? Where did you recruit from/look? Did you develop a job description and any advice on that?
I post listings with my statewide organic farming organization, with goodfoodjobs.com (discounted rate for female/ minority-owned businesses), but mostly I find employees through word of mouth. That takes a while but often leads to great personality fits! My former employees know the job better than anyone else and won’t recommend it to someone that isn’t a good fit, so their recommendation goes a long way in my book.
FLD: How do you keep momentum and energy going amongst your staff during the busiest peak of summer?
AA: We change our schedule in the summer and I let my employees be in charge of when that change happens.
In spring and fall we start at 8 am, work until 4, and take a 1 hour lunch. In the peak of summer heat we switch to 6 or 7 am start so that we can finish before the heat of the day, sometimes crews decide to shrink lunch break too.
As summers’ heat sets in, it is the crews’ responsibility to decide together when they want to make that change and let me know. When it gets above 95, I call the day unless there is inside work to do.
FLD: What have been your biggest challenges as a woman farmer managing employees and how did you manage?
AA: Where to start! I am going to be frank here and hope this isn’t blowing any minds: I am often underestimated, especially by young men. I try not to blame them too much, they have been raised in a culture that undervalues women. So when I interview young men to work on the farm I deliberately push some buttons and yank their chains and see how they respond. If they can’t laugh at themselves, it won’t be a good fit. It's an indication they won’t be open to bonding and working with a group of women and non-binary folks.
Sometimes I bring another male around during the interview– my partner or a long term employee- and watch to see if their demeanor changes around a tough, skilled guy. If they start “puffing feathers” it won’t be a good fit either’ it’s an indication they won’t be able to take instruction or feedback well.
FLD: When an employee isn’t performing well, how do you address that?
AA: I don’t have a uniform approach here, everyone responds to feedback differently, but I would stress being understanding and honest as early as possible and don’t let things fester.
At the beginning of the season we do a full day farm plan/SOPs training day. One thing I discuss during this day is that there are about a thousand different jobs on the farm and not everyone is expected to be great at every job, but if they’re not great at a whole lot of the jobs then maybe farming isn’t right for them.
I let my employees know that if they feel they aren’t working “up to snuff” they can always let me know and I’ll happily spend more time with them working through the task. You’d be surprised how many folks take me up on this! People want to work well, almost everyone enjoys the feeling of a job well done, and they want their hard work to be acknowledged! Most folks are okay if it takes some fine tuning before they get to that acknowledgement, but when they get there, do take the time to praise them, in front of their peers if possible!
It is your responsibility as the boss to set employees up for success and to have a strong production system and business plan with reasonable expectations of employees time, minds, and bodies.
Amanda Andrews
If someone isn’t performing well and doesn’t seem to know it, try to take them aside in a way that doesn’t draw any shame and offer feedback. For example, if there’s one person who is slow at stick hoeing, I’ll hang back when the crew goes out to hoe and wait 5 minutes for everyone to get in the zone. Then I’ll come out and start across the row from that person and strike up a conversation. Once we’re working and chatting, almost everyone will try to match pace with their conversation partner. When we get to the end of the bed, I’ll often ask, in a casual tone, “How’d that feel? You just matched my pace for about 3/4s of that bed! That’s awesome! Does that feel sustainable for you?” This resets the standard for what I expect and for what we both know they can do.
FLD: Advice on working through conflict?
AA: I have rarely had conflict between employees, but the few times there has been conflict it’s been a doozy. I once had a “they leave or I do” conflict that I was able to negotiate by listening to and acknowledging the hurt of both parties, reminding them that they both play essential roles on the farm, and once everyone cooled off we made a plan to keep them on separate tasks for the rest of the season. It was not ideal, but everyone knew they had been heard and that they were essential– and everyone stayed through the end of the season.
More often I hear of grumbling between employers and employees– employers sometimes come to resent their employees. If you find yourself thinking that your farm is struggling because your employees aren’t working hard enough, you need to take a step back and examine the strength of your business plan. It is your responsibility as the boss to set employees up for success and to have a strong production system and business plan with reasonable expectations of employees time, minds, and bodies.
I also know there are lots of “real talk” resources out there for setting up monthly or seasonal feedback sessions. I aim for twice a season check-ins, and have gotten great feedback from folks through these processes.
FLD: Advice on navigating cell phone use? Do you have a cell phone policy with employees?
AA: I allow employees to have their phones on them and to use them. I ask that they check email/messages when they are on breaks, and to only pick up the phone if they believe it to be an emergency (multiple calls/texts from a family member).
I allow and encourage them to listen to music/ podcasts when working; I have found it helps the crew to bond and takes the pressure off keeping the conversation going. If I find someone’s cell phone use to be causing a problem, I give them a warning; it’s never gotten to a second warning. Bottom line: I treat my employees like adults and expect them to act like adults. In fact, I use that exact line when explaining the cell phone policy and it often works to enforce it.