A workshop to help producers better manage farm workers is set for Feb. 16 at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service office in Little Rock.

“You do not have to be around produce farmers for very long before the conversation turns to farm workers,” said Tim Ellison, marketing director for the Arkansas State Plant Board/Arkansas Department of Agriculture. “Whether expanding production or converting from grain crops, sourcing and managing a growing pool of labor is a skill set you must have.”

The workshop will be held at the Cooperative Extension Service, 2301 S. University in Little Rock, with registration at 8:30 a.m. The program begins at 9 a.m.

The deadline to register is Feb. 9.

To register online, visit Farm Labor Workshop, or call Brenda Duggins at (501)671-2347.

“The workshop will bring together labor consultants, local farmers, and other experts in the field to discuss the many aspects of hiring and housing local, foreign or guest workers,” said Ron Rainey, Extension economist-agricultural economics for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

“According to USDA, hired farm workers make up less than 1 percent of all U.S. wage and salary workers, but they make a major contribution to agriculture by providing labor during critical production periods,” he said.

The workshop is being co-hosted by the Arkansas Agriculture Department and the Cooperative Extension Service.