GAP Connections (GAPC) is excited to announce the continuation of the Farmworker Training and Cost Share Program.

Through the cost-share program, GAPC Grower Members who grow tobacco can schedule a two-hour farmworker training for a cost of $200.  That is a $200 benefit to growers!  If more topics are desired, each additional hour of training will be cost-shared at a rate of $50 per hour.

GAPC Grower Members can work with neighboring growers to further share costs if workforces can be combined for a training session.  Coordinating with other growers is a great way for smaller operations to gain more cost-savings. 

The choice of training topics is numerous and varied to offer a full and complete package for operations that may be looking for safety and compliance training to meet different requirements.  Topics range from general farm safety, worker rights and responsibilities, laws and regulations, to specific topics such as food safety and crop integrity. Click here to view the 2024 GAPC Farmworker Training program catalog to view all available topics. 

A farmworker in Kentucky said, “I liked the way the training was presented.  It was very entertaining and informative.”

Registration is now open. To take advantage of this interactive and educational training, contact Amy Rochkes at (865) 622-4606, extension 107 or arochkes@gapconnections.com.

Learn More. 

Annual GAPC Training that was offered in-person has wrapped up for 2024.  Growers that have not completed training can complete training through their Grower Dashboard. In addition to online training, Burley and Dark Growers can contact their County Extension Agent to schedule or get on a list to view the 2024 Annual GAPC Training make-up video.  

Online Training Instructions

In order to complete online training, a grower needs to watch 3 videos from each category and pass the knowledge assessment quiz for each video course with a score of 100%. The quizzes can be taken multiple times until the passing score is achieved. This means there are a total of 9 videos and quizzes for completion. It's important to note that you are not required to watch all videos - you can choose which topics interest you.

Deadline to complete Annual GAPC Training is June 30. No training will be recorded after the deadline. 

If you have questions or having trouble completing online training, please contact Amy Rochkes, (865) 622-4606, extension 107 or arochkes@gapconnections.com

Need Record Templates?

Editable versions of the GAPC Record Templates can be found on our website or growers may purchase the GAPC Record Template packet from the GAPC Store. 

My application is approved. What is next?

The temperatures and humidity are rising across the U.S. making it essential for employers to keep Heat Illness Prevention as a top priority and take precautions.

In a warm environment, especially when physically active, the human body relies on its ability to get rid of excess heat to maintain a healthy internal body temperature.  Heat dissipation happens naturally through sweating and increased blood flow to the skin.  Workers cool down more rapidly if the external heat and physical activity are reduced (i.e. during breaks or when work is done). 

If heat dissipation does not happen quickly enough, the internal body temperature keeps rising and the worker may experience symptoms that include excessive thirst, irritability, a rash, cramping, heat exhaustion, or heat stroke.

GAP Connections announces new training materials are available on Illegal Recruitment Fees for GAPC Grower Members who hire H-2A workers.  The new resource will help workers understand the difference between illegal and legal fees, who may be charging or collecting these fees, and how should the worker report if he or she is pressured to pay fees to a recruiter, agent, worker, or employer.

In Store

The Illegal Fees Tailgate Training kit is available in English and Spanish and comes with one set of supervisor cards, two sets of worker cards, an Illegal Fees Poster, and a training record. This training record is for workers to sign and date providing the employer documentation the workers understand the topic and completed training. The supervisor cards have images on the front and a script to lead the discussion and training with the workers.  The tailgate training kit and poster is valued at $30 and can be purchased from the GAPC Store.

For more information on heat related illnesses, prevention, and First Aid go to https://www.osha.gov/heat-exposure

OSHA Poster: Prevent Heat Illness at Work

For Download

An Illegal Fees Training Presentation (PDF) has been created for GAPC Grower Members to conduct training upon arrival and departure with workers.  This training presentation is available in English and Spanish and can be downloaded from the Grower Dashboard (you must log into www.gapconnections.com) under Member Resources, then click on Worker Training Resources. At the same location, you will find the poster and training record to document the training for download that compliments the training. 

The Illegal Fees training material in the store and for download helps workers understand the differences between illegal fees and legal fees with examples and talking points on who makes the decisions to work on the farm and how and who to report to if a worker has been solicitated for fees.

Employers and workers must follow labor laws and regulations. Communication and training is the first step to protecting the employer and worker when it comes to compliance with the laws and rights under the H-2A program.

This training is not a requirement of the GAPC Certification Program but is available as a resource for GAPC Grower Members.

GAP Connections is excited to announce the launch of a new podcast "Let's Talk About Labor" that aims to address labor needs to farmers in Tennessee and other surrounding states. The podcast is a collaborative effort of University of Tennessee Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and GAP Connections

Episode 1: Let's talk about the H-2A program: Farmer's experiences with the H-2A program.

Listen here.

Episode 2: H-2A Worker Housing: Practical Things I Need to Know Before Considering the H-2A Program

Listen here.

Episode 3: H-2A Worker Transportation: Practical Things I Need to Know Before Considering the H-2A Program

In this episode, George McDonald, owner of Catesa Farms, and Bart Gilmer, one of the owners of Falcon Ridge Farm, will talk about the inbound and outbound transportation of H-2A workers. There are costs associated with workers traveling from their home country to the work site and back to their country, including transportation and subsistence costs. There are also costs related to workers’ transportation for traveling to and from the living quarters, the grocery store, and the bank. These costs will vary depending on the worker’s country of origin, mode of transportation, distance to the grocery store and bank, and distance from the living quarters to the worksite. In this episode, we will only talk about inbound and outbound transportation.

Listen here.

The U.S. Department of Labor published the 2024 Farmworker Protection Final Rule “Improving Protections for Workers in Temporary Agricultural Employment in the United States” effective June 28, 2024.  The final rule strengthens protections for temporary agricultural workers by making several changes to the H-2A program regulations to support the Department of Labor’s efforts to prevent adverse effect on workers in the U.S. and ensure H-2A workers are employed only when there are not sufficient able, willing, and qualified U.S. workers available to perform the work.

These changes include empowering workers to advocate on behalf of themselves and their coworkers regarding working conditions, improving accountability for employers using the H-2A program, improving transparency and accountability in the foreign labor recruitment process, requiring seat belts in most vehicles used to transport workers, enhancing existing enforcement provisions, improving transparence into the nature of the job opportunity by collecting additional information about owners, operators, managers, and supervisors to better enforce program requirements, clarifying when a termination is “for cause” to protect essential worker rights, and revising provisions and codifying protections that are outdated, unclear, or subject to misinterpretation in the current regulations.

The final rule also strengthens protections for temporary agricultural workers when employers fail to properly notify workers that the start date of work is delayed and clarifies and streamlines procedures to prevent noncompliant employers from using the Employment Service.

GAP Connections is planning a Labor Management Webinar to educate growers.  Watch for more information to come.

Additional Information:

The GAP Connections Board of Directors will be reviewing the new rule and any changes to GAPC Certification Standards will be proposed for 2025. This will not effect the 2024 Certification program.

Faculty and staff at the University of Tennessee Highland Rim AgResearch and Education Center are excited to host another informative Tobacco, Beef and More Field Day on Thursday, June 27, 2024. The event features a trade show as well as opportunities for tobacco farmers, beef producers and home gardeners to pick up some helpful tips.

Attendees will be able to choose from four tours throughout the daylong event, each with a certain theme. Field tours include the field crops tour, beef and forage tour, and a home and garden tour. The hemp production tour takes place in the afternoon, following a sponsored lunch. The trade show is open all morning for anyone interested in learning about general production and livestock agriculture.

This event is free and open to the public. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. CDT at the assembly area at 3406 Oakland Road in Springfield, Tennessee. The first tours depart at 8:45 a.m.

Visit agresearch.tennessee.edu/field-days for more details about the 2024 UT Institute of Agriculture Field Days. You can also contact your county UT Extension office or contact the Highland Rim AgResearch and Education Center at 615-382-3130. To request accommodation for accessibility, contact the Highland Rim AgResearch and Education Center office. 

The tour will kick off with check-in at the Hotel Florence on July 9th from 3:00 - 6:00 pm, and supper that evening at a local restaurant. The first stop of the tour will begin at 7:45 AM on July 10th at Pee Dee Research and Education Center Pavilion. We will have lunch near Stevens Farms in Loris at around 12:00 with an additional stop afterwards. A more detailed tour schedule will be sent at a later date to the email address provided when registering. 

Register by June 30th using the link below: 

https://form.jotform.com/241494494459167

Hotel Information:

Hotel Block is available now through June 18th. Guests can either call the property directly and request a room using the Clemson Extension group rate, or, go to www.hotelflorence.tapestrycollection.com and use code CETG in the special rates section under Group Code.

GAPC has a partnership with Jackson Lewis to provide growers with a comprehensive risk management helpline service carefully designed to help manage workforce employment issues and reduce exposure to employment-related liability. 

This helpline is FREE to all GAPC grower members. Growers can access the helpline by phone (833) 499-0275 or email GAPConnectionsHotline@jacksonlewis.com.  When contacting the helpline, please be prepared to provide, your name, GAPC grower ID #, location, type of issue, phone, and email (if available). 

865.622.4606 | info@gapconnections.com | 2450 E.J. Chapman Drive Knoxville, TN 37996