Labor
Workers showing up for vegetable harvests – so far
Will U.S. growers find enough workers to harvest their crops in 2012?It's tough to predict, but based on information from a smattering of different crops in different regions, it looks like the labor supply is,... more »
New farm bill in the works
On April 26, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry passed its version of the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012, also known as the farm bill. It was the first step... more »
Immigration stalls as opportunities wane on U.S.-Mexican border
As the economy boomed in the mid- 2000s, many immigrants in southern California's border country spurned field work in favor of construction and food-service jobs. Then they stopped coming to U.S. farms altogether. BloombergClick here... more »
Some Alabama farmers cut back crops, citing crackdown
Some Alabama farmers say they are planting less produce rather than risk having tomatoes and other crops rot in the fields a second straight year because of labor shortages linked to the state's crackdown on... more »
Pasco farmer abandons asparagus field
The once-closed tips of the thigh-high asparagus spears have ferned out.The giant stems cover a 100-acre field that Larsen Farms of Pasco stopped harvesting about a week ago because they -- along with other Tri-City... more »
Labor department scraps child worker rule
The U.S. Department of Labor issued the following statement today, regarding the withdrawal of a proposed rule dealing with children who work in agricultural vocations:"The Obama administration is firmly committed to promoting family farmers and... more »
Michigan Appeals court upholds migrant worker’s conviction in killing of farmer
The Michigan state Court of Appeals has upheld the first-degree murder conviction of farm worker Socorro Hurtado-Garcia in the Feb. 5, 2010, killing of his boss, Ed Rasch.Hurtado-Garcia, 59, who worked for Rasch more than... more »
Returning vets to get agriculture training
The unemployment ratio of returning veterans is higher than the national average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor. Currently it stands around 12 percent. Enter AgWarriors.Based in Tulare, Calif., the organization is committed to... more »