UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A year and a half ago, producers in Pennsylvania’s tree-fruit and poultry industries turned to Penn State Extension with a critical need. They cited language barriers, safety concerns and workforce retention as top challenges, and asked for help training Spanish-speaking workers in English, safety and workplace skills.
With its statewide reach, trusted relationships, and history of bilingual education and outreach, Penn State Extension was uniquely positioned to respond.
Extension educators developed English4Ag, a program designed to meet growers’ needs and teach conversational and industry-specific English to Spanish-speaking agricultural workers.
After just a few sessions, one tree-fruit worker felt confident enough to ask questions during a team meeting.
“Seeing participants gain confidence has been incredibly rewarding,” said Maria Gorgo-Simcox, bilingual horticulture extension educator and project leader with extensive experience in culturally relevant agricultural training.
“The program addresses a longstanding gap in agricultural education, helping growers provide employees with essential professional development,” she said.
English4Ag is part of a larger initiative that began in 2024, when the Extension Foundation’s AgriProspects Workforce Development Network awarded Penn State Extension a minigrant to support Success Skills in Spanish 4 Ag, a program focused on workforce development for Spanish-speaking employees in the tree-fruit and poultry industries.
The project is aimed at improving safety, communication and workforce retention through training in agricultural English, safety compliance and soft skills. The goal is to help Latino workers with limited English proficiency work more safely while boosting morale and productivity.
Safety first
For employers, the stakes are high.
“Our biggest concern was the safety risks involved with the language barrier,” said Mikel Grimm, director of human resources at Adams County Nursery. “Not being able to understand instructions or safety labels creates a huge risk for accidents and injuries.”
Language barriers also limit career advancement. “On many farms, those who do not have English skills are limited in what promotions they are eligible for, what jobs they can learn and what long-term opportunities are available to them,” Grimm said.
Community-powered success
Between June and July 2025, 26 participants in the tree-fruit industry completed six sessions combining English4Ag language instruction with soft skills training. Lessons covered agricultural vocabulary, safety communication, leadership and workplace expectations.
Community support proved essential. The Adams County Fruit Growers Association, local growers and community members provided materials and refreshments. PathStone Corporation contributed pantry items for class activities. Penn State Extension donated bilingual agricultural dictionaries and tree-fruit disease and pest guides.
One moment stood out to Gorgo-Simcox: A local business owner originally from Mexico brought 30 Subway sandwiches and wraps to one of the sessions. He had heard about the program and wanted to show his support.
“He told the participants, ‘I was in your shoes once. I learned English, kept learning new things, and now I’m a business owner. I want to support you and show you that you can do it too,’” Gorgo-Simcox recalled.
“It was so inspiring, seeing the community come together to support this initiative in such a kind, meaningful way,” she said.
Real-world practice
The final session featured a “Day in the Market” activity. PathStone donated food pantry items, and the room was set up like a supermarket. Participants practiced English by “shopping” with fake money, using phrases such as “I want this” and “How much is it?”
Participants received framed certificates. Gorgo-Simcox suggested a group photo, but everyone requested individual photos with the instructors as well.
“They were so proud, and it meant a lot to them,” she said.
One participant shared his gratitude: “For the first time, I feel like I’ve learned skills that I can actually use — not just at work but also in my personal life. Thanks to this course, I feel more confident and prepared to be a better, more valuable employee for my orchard.”
Measurable impact
Evaluation results showed the tree-fruit English course improved participants’ English proficiency, safety awareness and workplace confidence. Ninety percent said the course exceeded expectations, while all participants reported increased confidence speaking English.
Participants said their new skills would help them communicate with farm owners and supervisors, train other workers, and better understand safety instructions, labels and documents. All indicated they could apply their English skills outside work to integrate into the community, such as at school, hospitals, supermarkets and other settings.
The Adams County Fruit Growers Association helped develop the program through focus groups. Members of its Agricultural Human Resource Management Alliance noted that employees valued learning agriculture-specific vocabulary and practicing pronunciation.
“The confidence boost in these employees is undeniable,” Grimm said. “They feel valued, and employees who feel valued are more productive.”
Workers appreciated their employers’ involvement in encouraging participation in the course and said they held high regard for courses led by Gorgo-Simcox and Penn State Extension.
Kathleen Sexsmith, assistant professor of rural sociology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, evaluated the course, calling it “a significant achievement considering that the curriculum had to be built across a range of nationalities, ages and English language skill levels.”
Poultry industry
Hope Kassube, bilingual poultry extension educator, served as co-principal investigator. She designed most poultry English lesson plans, which focused on essential vocabulary and practical phrases relevant to poultry work.
All respondents said they will use the information learned in class. The two most-cited reasons were “to understand instructions, labels and other work documents” and “to be a better employee.”
Kassube found that participants’ English proficiency levels varied widely. She said she plans to offer a more advanced course that includes sentence structure and common verbs. She also is leading development of Module Two — a six-week online Poultry Tech School delivered in Spanish covering animal handling, nutrition, biosecurity and disease control.
“By strengthening language and technical skills, the program supports statewide workforce development goals and helps build a more skilled, efficient and inclusive agricultural workforce in Pennsylvania,” Kassube said.
The business case
Gorgo-Simcox emphasized the economic imperative.
“Specialty crops are very labor intensive and depend on a largely Spanish-speaking workforce,” she said. “The newer generation of growers value educating their workforce. They know training creates more skilled, valuable employees.”
This is especially true in tree fruit, she added.
“Growers recognize that without these workers, they don’t have orchards,” she said. “This is highly skilled work. You can’t just tell someone, ‘Go prune that tree.’ They really need to know what they’re doing.”
Gorgo-Simcox noted that workforce development is a major priority for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
Building capacity
The program draws on expertise across Penn State. Linda Falcone, leadership and community vitality extension educator, serves as co-principal investigator with Kassube.
Other team members include Sexsmith, who researches Latino farmworker integration and conducted the evaluations; Daniel Weber, tree-fruit extension educator; Kari Peter, associate research professor of tree-fruit pathology, who engages in Spanish-language outreach; and Gino Lorenzoni, associate professor of poultry science and avian health with bilingual training experience.
Project leaders recently submitted a new AgriProspects grant application to expand the program to three additional industries: mushroom, green and dairy. They plan to create a train-the-trainer model and are exploring partnerships to support digital access and blended learning.
“Most importantly, we’ll continue to listen to the needs of the industry and workers to ensure the program remains responsive, relevant and impactful,” Gorgo-Simcox said.
Partners for the long haul
The collaborative approach is paying off: Adams County Nursery partners with Penn State Extension frequently, Grimm said.
“It’s like working with family,” she said. “It is comforting to work with educators who understand our sector and the struggles that agricultural producers and workers face.”
She praised the tree-fruit-focused content that employees use daily.
“Our employees were extremely thankful for the opportunity,” Grimm said. “They are practicing their English skills more frequently, and we are waiting anxiously for the second round of classes.”