CAHRC 10th Anniversary Calendar offers free year-long ag HR management training

Ottawa, ON – The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) is celebrating its 10^th anniversary with a CAHRC Calendar of free monthly advice and tips on various agricultural human resource (HR) topics throughout 2017.

“This is a milestone anniversary for CAHRC and what better way to celebrate than to share with producers some of the knowledge, products and services that we have developed over the years,” says Portia MacDonald-Dewhirst, Executive Director of CAHRC.

The CAHRC HR Calendar Series is a free online resource offering advice and short webinars to help educate and support producers on some of the basics of HR Management such as recruitment, selection, compensation and benefits, how to improve worker performance, developing HR policies, and workplace wellness, among others. Each month the calendar focuses on a key topic and provides producers with tips and tools on how best to manage the HR side of their business. All calendar information and webinars will be archived so as to be available 24/7 on the CAHRC web site. 

“The need for agricultural human resource management has never been greater,” explains MacDonald-Dewhirst. “Canada’s producers are struggling to find enough workers for their operations. Hiring the right people, and ensuring they are well managed and supported so they stay and grow with the business is critical for any business, especially at this time when replacing workers is so challenging.”

CAHRC was created in January 2007, following more than three years of consultations involving industry stakeholders from across the country that determined the need for a national organization focused on addressing the strategic HR requirements of Canada’s agricultural producers. Key issues of concern were the need for research and solutions for skills shortages, training and development, recruitment, and retention to ensure sustainability of the agricultural sector. As a result, CAHRC was formed as a unique forum to support effective workforce management for the agriculture industry.

The Council’s mandate remains focused on developing innovative solutions to issues of agricultural human resource development, management and employment. Its objectives are to work toward an adequate, reliable, well-trained, and progressive work force that will strengthen the ability of the farm community to thrive and be successful in an internationally competitive marketplace.

CAHRC is an agriculture producer driven Council that represents farming in all its forms, as well as the broader industry including suppliers, supporting agricultural specialists and researchers, inspectors, processors, transporters, wholesale and retail grocers, and food service workers. Industry participation is the cornerstone of the Council which takes its direction and guidance from a large, nationally representative Board of Directors made up of agricultural leaders within and across various commodity groups. Additionally, all research, project work and product development activities are supported by national stakeholder participation to ensure quality, accuracy and relevance of prepared solutions. For more information on CAHRC visit www.cahrc-ccrha.ca.