January 14, 2005

Purdue workshops tackle risky business of human resources

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Mention the term "risk management" to most farmers and they'll conjure up images of commodities trading, weather and pests. They might be less inclined to think about the people they work beside every day.

A workshop series sponsored by Purdue University's Department of Agricultural Economics will place human risk management issues foremost in the minds of farmers and small business owners. Human Resource Risk: Combating Risk Through Contingency Planning will take place Friday (Jan. 21) at University Inn in West Lafayette, Ind., and Feb. 4 at the Clark County REMC in Sellersburg, Ind.

The workshops are designed to help farmers and business owners assess the risks they and their employees face in the workplace, as well as how to minimize risks to ensure the farm operation or business remains viable.

"Small businesses and producers are very concerned with health care, insurance and worker safety," said Maria Marshall, Purdue agricultural economist and a workshop coordinator. "In addition to those topics, we'll talk about the rules and regulations of employment, how to write a contingency plan and how to do a risk analysis for a business."

A contingency plan spells out who is responsible for what should the business owner or a key employee be unable to work or die.

"Contingency planning can help your business recover from an unplanned disruption to normal business activities," Marshall said.

The workshops run from 8 a.m. to about 4 p.m. The morning session includes discussions on risk management, health insurance, liability insurance and other insurances. Afternoon sessions will cover worker safety, personnel policies, employment rules and contingency planning. Follow-up two-hour workshops to help attendees with their contingency plans will take place on Feb. 25 and March 4.

Workshop speakers and facilitators include Marshall and fellow Purdue agricultural economists Corinne Alexander, Craig Dobbins, George Patrick and Christine Wilson, and representatives from Farm Bureau Insurance.

Registration is $55 per person and $45 for each additional business partner. To register, contact Carolyn Hunst at (765) 494-4271. For additional information, contact Marshall at (765) 494-4268, mimarsha@purdue.edu; or Roy Ballard, Purdue Extension Floyd County educator, at (812) 948-5470, rballard@purdue.edu.

Writer: Steve Leer, (765) 494-8415, sleer@purdue.edu

Source: Maria Marshall, (765) 494-4268, mimarsha@purdue.edu

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722; Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
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