Ag apprenticeships & Spanish safety charts: Cultivating diversity in employees

“We embrace our diversity; it makes us a stronger organization at every level.”

This message anchored a Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Summit session this year, led by three different people in different facets of the industry.

Presenter Kate Turcotte is an artisan cheesemaker of more than 20 years and a staff member of the Farmington, Maine-based Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment. Presenter Kristina Graeber is director of programs and development at the New York City-based Anne Saxelby Legacy Fund (ASLF), a nonprofit dedicated to providing month-long paid apprenticeships for young adults to live on sustainable farms. Presenter Jennell Carter is COO and co-founder of Casco Bay Creamery, a Maine-based butter manufacturer and co-packer.

Apprenticeships are a gateway for attracting the next generation of ag workers – and increasing diversity. The Growing Graziers Cohort is one such opportunity.

Growing Graziers is part of the national Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship (DGA), a registered U.S. Department of Labor program, and is facilitated by Wolfe’s Neck Center, Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, the UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Cornell Cooperative Extension. While the paid DGA offers two years of structured, hands-on farm training with experienced graziers, the cohort is just nine months in duration. It is possible for those who are unable to dedicate two years’ time to the DGA to still participate in the cohort.

Turcotte works as an education coordinator for the cohort and outlined its goals:

• Increase the number of mentor farmers (in-person and hybrid training)
• Expand the total of registered apprentices in the Northeast
• Strengthen the region’s presence within the DGA
• Build spaces for apprentices and mentors to connect with local and regional resources

She noted, “It’s important to bring the group together for industry conferences and events.” Community fosters confidence and shared expertise.

Graeber helms a different workforce development effort through the ASLF, named for the NYC cheesemonger who passed in 2021. In 2025, the ASLF partnered with 60 Northeast host farms and received around 600 applications from interested candidates. Apprentices earn $20/hour over four weeks, with on-farm housing, a living stipend and travel reimbursements typically included.

“This paid access to training builds new and solidifies existing credible skills, which leads to job offers and advancement and helps to build resilient local food systems,” Graeber said. A legacy tier offers continued advancement for program alumni.

From 2021 to 2025, ASLF hosted 260 apprentices from 24 U.S. states and countries including the UK, Spain and Ghana. Seventy-eight of those apprenticeships were dairy-driven.

“Telling the story is all we expect from them,” Graeber said. “Communicating the impact of the work, of the program, is what moves us forward.”

For Carter and Casco Bay Creamery, their interest in supporting workforce diversification was necessitated by business growth. What began in a church kitchen now employs more than 50 people across manufacturing and co-packing, representing multiple countries and languages.

“Our biggest challenge used to be about learning how to make butter,” she shared, “but now we focus on learning how to build and support a diverse team. There are certainly challenges, but a healthy culture and solid training can change any outcome.”

Their culture-building practices reflect core HR principles: respect each employee, use names when interacting with employees, set clear expectations and accountability, recognize wins (large and small) and create growth opportunities.

Beyond that, however, a unique challenge emerged: “Communication is our biggest operational risk.” With five primary languages in use, operational obstacles quickly emerged: English-only training materials, production miscommunication, safety misunderstandings and difficulties asking questions.

Casco Bay responded with visual and demonstration-based training – color-coded systems, photos and diagrams incorporated throughout their SOPs – alongside multilingual supervisors who support questions and provide hands-on instruction.

“In addition to all of those operational shifts,” she noted, “it’s equally important to learn about the employees’ backgrounds and respect cultural differences.” It helps build trust and community.

The results included improved communication, more confident and capable employees and a safer plant and work experience. Ongoing priorities include continuing skills development, leadership coaching and expanded multilingual training.

Across all three presenters’ program examples, the takeaway is clear: The strong workforce of tomorrow is built through learning opportunities and a supportive culture.

1. Culture must be intentional.
2. Training must be continuous.
3. Language barriers require leadership solutions.
4. Invest in employee development.
5. Diverse teams are a strength.

Applications for the 2026-27 Growing Graziers cohort open this summer. The 2027 ASLF application cycle begins Jan. 9, 2027.

To learn more visit wolfesneck.org, annesaxelbylegacyfund.org and cascobaycreamery.com.

by Andy Haman