Leading professionals from across North America gathered for the first Ag HR Symposium in Canada at the University of Guelph July 24 and 25.
Organized by Sara Mann, associate professor of strategic human resources management and organizational behavior in U of G’s College of Management and Economics (CME), the symposium included representatives from University of California Davis, Canadian Agricultural HR Council, Cornell University, University of Wisconsin, Michigan State University, Farm Management Canada, the Labour Issue Co-ordinating Committee, the Centre for Excellence in Farm Business Management (New Zealand), and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
CME dean Julia Christensen Hughes attended the symposium. “I was delighted to have the University of Guelph host this groundbreaking event,” she said. “Many faculty members within the College of Management and Economics are researching strategies for enhancing Canadian competitiveness in the food and agribusiness industry. Advancing the effectiveness of human resource management is clearly a significant part of that challenge.”
Participants agreed their next venture is to develop a set of collaborative projects to meet the needs of farmers, advisors and educators worldwide. The Ag HR Symposium was sponsored by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.