New York to Launch First-Of-Its-Kind Agricultural Workforce Development Program

By NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets has announced it has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to gather input from stakeholders that will help the Department shape a first-of-its-kind agricultural workforce development program in the State. The Department is also looking to identify potential qualified applicants.  Funding for the program was allocated in this year’s New York State Budget and builds on Governor Kathy Hochul’s goals of strengthening New York’s food supply chain through the attraction and retention of a skilled agricultural workforce.

State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “Governor Hochul is committed to building a strong agricultural pipeline and to make sure that we are connecting our young people in agriculture to New York companies.  I encourage eligible organizations focused on workforce development to respond to this request; the input gained will be invaluable as we work to develop a program with clear pathways for those interested in a career in agriculture and connect them to high-quality employment across the industry.”

New York’s agricultural and food industries need to continue to attract and retain future generations of skilled workers who are prepared for a career in an industry that is rapidly developing alongside emerging technologies and ever-changing consumer demand. The Department is interested in working closely with those in the agricultural and food sectors to create a program that will identify clear pathways for jobseekers and connect them to high-quality employment opportunities in agriculture, ultimately helping to strengthen and grow the State’s food supply system.

Information gathered from the RFI will inform a potential Request for Proposal (RFP) for an agriculture workforce development program. The program will identify internships and apprenticeships across the industry and, working with our educational institutions like the SUNY system, ensure that the necessary skills and standards required by the industry are being taught to students. The program will also focus on working with workforce development entities to match and place the new workforce, including migrant individuals and asylum seekers, directly with industry opportunities.

The RFI and additional information can be found on the Department’s website at https://agriculture.ny.gov/request-information-new-york-state-department-agriculture-and-markets-agriculture-workforce. Responders to the RFI may answer in one, or more, of the following areas: 1. Experience; 2. Qualifications; 3. Proposed project scope and services; 4. Other Considerations.

Statements of interest will be accepted via email to Antonia Giuliano, Senior Policy Advisor for Food and Dairy, at antonia.giuliano@agriculture.ny.gov.

Responses are due by November 1, 2023, and questions about the RFI must be submitted by email by October 4, 2023.

Help Farm Employees “Sleep for Success!”

By Jay Canzonier, Housing Management Specialist, Cornell Ag Workforce Development

June 21 marks the first day of summer and longest day of the year. A glorious day and evening for barbeques and corn hole tournaments…unless you are working the night shift. Our co-workers who brave the dark during their workday have a much different outlook on the sunlight looking in while they try to sleep.

In the darkness of evening and as you enter sleep, your body produces melatonin, a naturally occurring hormone which regulates your body’s circadian rhythms, your natural sleep-wake cycle. By morning light your body begins to suppress melatonin by elevating levels of cortisol, a steroid hormone which plays a significant role in waking up. Exposure to light helps your body figure out when it’s time to sleep, and time to wake up. Light, whether it be natural sunlight or artificial, disrupts the creation of melatonin. This disruption cues your internal body clock to be awake and active, making it difficult to enter a restful sleep.

Most adults require seven to nine hours of sleep daily. A lack of sleep can lead to decreased energy, delayed reaction times, increased anxiety, inability to process information quickly, and many more side effects that decrease productivity at work and overall quality of life. Long term sleep deprivation can contribute to more severe chronic health risks including anxiety, coronary heart disease, depression, obesity, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes just to name a few. Inadequate sleep can be a key contributor in work related accidents.

Working the night shift causes your body to get out of its natural sleeping rhythms by requiring you to be alert when the light cycle programs it to be sleeping. Conversely, when you go home after a night shift, your internal body clock and exposure to daylight tells your body to be awake and active. There are sleep hygiene tactics that can be used to help your body minimize the effects of an opposite sleep schedule resulting from night duty. Tools to make your sleep time more pleasant and productive include:

• Wear dark sunglasses to suppress light when leaving the workplace in the morning. Even if it is a short exposure, minimizing the effect of sunlight on your body can have an impact on how quickly you enter a restful sleep, and how long you sleep.

• Use blackout curtains in sleeping rooms to eliminate sunlight during the sleep time. Blackout curtains are fabric drapes or shades that cover the window completely, eliminating all light from entering the sleeping area. Note that these will be labeled differently from other drapes and shades which may be only “light filtering.” Blackout curtains help create a dark environment that mimics nighttime, your body will produce melatonin and lead to a longer and more refreshing quality of sleep.

• Eliminate sources of “blue light” from electronic devises within the sleeping area. Blue light decreases the production of melatonin, making sleep incredibly difficult particularly when working the night shift.

• When possible, align work shifts with sleeping shifts in employee housing. Doing so can minimize daytime disturbances in the sleeping area and accommodate the sleeping needs and preferences of the night shift workers.

These strategies are affordable and simple ways to improve sleep quality, overall health, safety, and productivity. Maintaining your body’s natural circadian rhythm is an essential building block in overall health and quality of life. By sharing this information with our night shift workers and providing them with the necessary tools, we can help those who work while we sleep…sleep while we work.

This link is to an informative website and short video on the importance of sleep and how it affects performance. Dr. James B. Maas was a professor at Cornell University for more than 48 years and is famous for coining the term “power nap.”

FY 2019 H-2B Cap Relief Update

The Federation of Employers and Workers of America (FEWA) has shared this important update.

Last month, the Appropriations Committees filed the conference agreement on the FY 19 Labor-HHS and Department of Defense “minibus” appropriations bill, which includes a continuing resolution (CR) to maintain funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other federal Departments through December 7, 2018.  

What does this mean for H-2B?

The conference report that was filed would continue the Department of Labor (DOL) H-2B provisions that have been included in past funding bills.  No immediate changes to the program.

Cap relief is not included in this “minibus” bill that is expected to be signed into law.

What does this mean for H-2B Cap Relief?

The CR for the DHS though December 7 is important, as it relieves the pressure of a governmental shutdown.

The DHS funding bill passed by the House Appropriations Committee in July would exempt returning workers from the annual H-2B visa cap, along with other adjustments. The Senate Appropriations Committee–passed version of FY 2019 DHS funding bill asks DHS to consider a more equitable annual allocation of the 66,000 visas. 

Congress will not take up an FY 2019 funding bill for DHS after the November 7 elections. THIS WILL BE OUR OPPORTUNITY FOR H-2B CAP RELIEF. 

What can you do?

After this bill is signed into law, House members will be returning to their home districts to begin campaigning for election day. Meet with your representative at home and stress the importance the H-2B program has on your business and the need for immediate cap relief. View H-2B Cap Relief Talking Points.  

After November 7 elections, Congress will return to DC, and within the first week concentrate on electing leadership roles. Once that is complete they will have until December 7 to negotiate the remaining bills to fund the government. THIS WILL BE OUR OPPORTUNITY FOR THE H-2B RETURNING WORKER EXEMPTION. 

FEWA and the H-2B Workforce Coalition continue to urge Congress to include the House cap relief language in a final appropriations bill. FEWA’s Jarrod Sharp and Robin Svec will be in Washington, DC, later this month to further advocate for this language.

In addition to continuing to push for Congress to pass H-2B cap relief we will let you know when Congress votes on this legislation.