Skilled Trades Training Fund Helps Local Seed Farm Train 7 Employees
Thanks to funds awarded from the Skilled Trades Training Fund (STTF), the Sklarczyk Seed Farm in Otsego County worked with North Central Michigan College to provide additional training for seven of their employees. Employees who received the new training were also given raises to reward their new skills.
Sklarczyk’s product is time sensitive and has many facets to it, from growth to storage to final destination. Planting, proper timing in harvesting, temperature control, environment control and watering are just a few of their challenges. With the training Sklarczyk’s employees received, the farm will be able to take their employees to the next level, and continue to be able to grow and mature their business.
Owner, Ben Sklarczyk says the STTF Training has greatly benefitted the Farm.
“We chose to have Lean Management Training with our managers. The information we learned has made us a more efficient operation in many aspects, especially with our time. It also had the added benefit of bringing our team together and strengthening morale among us,” says Ben. “It was fun and engaging to work together to problem solve and brainstorm during our training sessions. We continue to use and build upon the training we received and look forward to having our whole staff participate in the future.”
Sklarczyk Seed Farm consists of 3 poly-top greenhouses, a 5 bay glasshouse, and a laboratory devoted specifically to seed potato tissue culture. Over 4 million seed potatoes are produced in two crops each year, which are shipped throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Chile, and the Middle East. The 650 acres of the field operation no longer grows potatoes, but now yields many bushels of wheat and soybeans.