Monthly Life and Wellness Training for Hispanic Farmworkers

Monthly Life and Wellness Training for Hispanic Farmworkers: Coming Up in June – Communication Skills at Work (Understanding the Workplace)with María Bess Lewis (CAWD)

Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development (CAWD) along with NY FarmNet, the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH), and Cornell Small Farms’ Futuro en Ag Program, are now in their sixth month of the new statewide initiative: VIDA Series. This once-a-month FREE program is designed to support the well-being, confidence, and long-term success of Hispanic farmworkers through short educational videos and interactive live discussions. The VIDA Series—named for the Spanish word “vida” (meaning “life”)—offers free, Spanish-language sessions focused on four key areas of growth:

V – Valorar la salud (Value Wellness) – Promoting physical and mental well-being through lessons on health, nutrition, stress management, and healthy relationships.

I – Informar para crecer (Inform for Growth) – Strengthening personal financial knowledge, including banking, budgeting, and avoiding scams.

D – Desarrollar el futuro (Develop the Future) – Encouraging long-term planning, savings, and small business development both in the U.S. and abroad.

A – Activar la confianza (Activate Confidence) – Building communication and leadership skills to improve relationships at work and at home.

June:

• Format: Online pre-recorded videos and live monthly Zoom sessions
  Watch the June pre-recorded video here
  Access materials here
• Topic: Communication Skills at Work (Understanding the Workplace)
• Session Schedule: Live sessions every third Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m. (June 18)
• Languages: All content and discussions in Spanish
• Cost: Free
• Registration: not required!

Subscribe to Ag Workforce Journal to receive the free video emails and Zoom links.

Monthly Topics: VIDA’s monthly topics for 2026 include:

• • UP NEXT June: Communicating with the American Boss with María Bess Lewis (CAWD)
  • July: Financial Basics Part II – Budgeting and Saving for the Future with NY FarmNet
  • August: How to Start a Small Business Abroad with Mildred Alvarado (Cornell Small Farms)
  • September: Family Services Part II – Family Stability and Growth While Apart with NY FarmNet
  • October: Health Awareness Part II – Dental Care and Preventive Health with Anna Meyerhoff (NYCAMH)
  • November: Financial Basics Part III – Credit and Financial Introduction with Mildred Alvarado (Cornell Small Farms)
  • December: Special Guests and Personal Stories on Scams hosted by María Bess Lewis (CAWD)

The VIDA program through Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development is excited to announce our June session topic: Communication Skills at Work (Understanding the Workplace).

This month, we are honored to welcome special guest speaker Rodolfo Ceja Garcia, known as Rudy, who will share his experiences, leadership journey, and perspective on workplace communication in agriculture.

We first met Rudy through one of our Spanish Agricultural Supervisory Leadership (ASL-SP) courses and immediately recognized his experience, wisdom, and gifted leadership abilities. His way of leading others stood out because of his calm approach to conflict, his respect for people, and his ability to stay focused on the bigger purpose and mission of the farm.

Rudy has worked at Brooksco Dairy in Quitman, Georgia since 1998. Throughout his many years on the farm, he has managed multiple teams and gained extensive experience working with people from different backgrounds, personalities, and work styles. His leadership has been deeply influenced by the vision and mission of farm owner Calvin Moody, a graduate of Cornell University, whose leadership philosophy has helped shape the culture of the farm.

During this session, Rudy will share some personal examples of conflict management, and he will be open to take any questions or comments from the group. We will meet Thursday, June 18th at 7:00pm eastern time. The link is here to join. No registration required. All are welcome to participate.

The VIDA program continues to create opportunities for Spanish-speaking agricultural employees to learn, reflect, and grow together through practical conversations that connect directly to life and work in agriculture.

We invite everyone to join us for this important and inspiring conversation.