Onboarding plan
Farmworker Onboarding Plan (30-60-90 Days)
A practical, printable plan to take a new farmworker from first day to full productivity.
Farmworker onboarding at a glance
Week one covers orientation, safety and shadowing. Days 1–30 build vocabulary and supervised practice on core procedures; days 31–60 move to independent work with competency sign-offs; days 61–90 focus on full productivity, cross-training and a credential plan.
Before day one
- Confirm start date, schedule, pay and supervisor in writing
- Verify required credentials: Worker Protection Standard training, Heat illness prevention training (as applicable)
- Prepare equipment and access: hand tools such as hoes and pruners; harvest bins and containers; irrigation equipment; greenhouse equipment
- Assign a buddy or preceptor
- Enroll the new hire in Farmworker training so foundations are covered before or during week one
Week one: orient and protect
- Workplace tour, emergency procedures and incident reporting
- Drink water and take shade breaks
- Follow pesticide REIs
- Use ladders safely in orchards
- Lift with your legs
- Shadow an experienced farmworker through a full shift
- Training modules 1–3: role foundations, a day on the job and essential vocabulary (15 terms)
Days 1–30: learn
Goal: perform core tasks safely under supervision.
- Supervised practice: harvest produce safely and gently
- Supervised practice: prevent heat illness
- Supervised practice: follow pesticide safety rules
- Training modules 4–7: duties, step-by-step tasks, tools and safety
- 30-day check-in: confidence, questions and early wins
Days 31–60: contribute
Goal: handle a regular workload independently.
- Plant seeds and transplants: independently
- Weed and cultivate crops: independently
- Irrigate fields and greenhouses: independently
- Prune and train plants: independently
- Competency sign-offs completed (see checklist below)
- Training final knowledge check and certificate of completion
- 60-day check-in
Days 61–90: own
Goal: full productivity and a growth plan.
- Meet productivity and quality targets for the role
- Begin cross-training on a secondary task
- Agree on a credential goal (for example, Worker Protection Standard training)
- Discuss the career path: Farmworker → Experienced Worker → Crew Leader
- 90-day review
Competency checklist
| Skill or task | Trained | Observed | Signed off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvest Produce Safely and Gently | |||
| Prevent Heat Illness | |||
| Follow Pesticide Safety Rules | |||
| Planting and harvesting | |||
| Pruning | |||
| Irrigation | |||
| Plant care |
How to measure onboarding success
- Time to independent work
- Injuries and equipment damage
- Quality checks, client complaints or animal outcomes
- Seasonal return rate
How Farmworker training maps to this plan
- Introduction to the Farmworker Role
- A Day on the Job
- Essential Farmworker Vocabulary
- Core Duties and Responsibilities
- Common Tasks, Step by Step
- Tools, Equipment and Technology
- Safety, Compliance and Professional Standards
- Skills Employers Look For
- Launching Your Farmworker Career
- Final Knowledge Check