Labor
New York Farm Bureau seeks to intervene in labor lawsuit
New York Farm Bureau (NYFB) is seeking to intervene in a farm labor lawsuit filed against New York state and Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The farm organization will file a motion today in State Supreme Court... more »
Workers sue Michigan blueberry farm
Migrant Legal Aid and Willenson Law, a Chicago law firm, have filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of migrant and seasonal farm workers against Fennville, Michigan, grower Blue Star Farms and its owner Anthony Marr.... more »
Scouting crops and ticks
June is the typical time in Michigan to check field emergence and early season pest problems. As you start visiting fields, keep ticks in the back of your mind, especially if you live in the... more »
GAP training available for Latino growers, farmworkers
Michigan State University (MSU) Extension will host the first of several Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) workshops in Spanish June 3-4. MSU Extension, in cooperation with Michigan Food and Farming Systems (MIFFS), will be hosting GAP... more »
Limit exposure by laundering clothing after pesticide applications
Pesticide-contaminated clothing needs to be treated differently than the rest of the family laundry. “Pesticides pose a potential health risk, even for the person handling and washing pesticide-contaminated clothing,” said Clyde Ogg, UNL pesticide safety... more »
Western Growers applauds USCIS streamlining of H-2A processing
While in Washington, D.C. for the Association’s Annual Board Fly-in, Western Growers President and CEO Tom Nassif has released a statement on announcements made by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the U.S.... more »
Minimum wage brings headaches for growers
Gov. Andrew Cuomo wanted New York to become the first state in the nation to increase its minimum wage to $15 an hour. The measure eventually passed, but California beat him to the mark –... more »
Visa backlogs threaten this year’s harvest
Agency delays in processing visas for workers who tend and harvest America's food crops are fast approaching crisis proportions, all but guaranteeing that crops will rot in the field on many farms this year, American... more »
NASDA joins Farm Bureau in calling for faster H-2A processing
The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) joined forces with the American Farm Bureau Federation to call on the federal government to alleviate H-2A processing delays. The H-2A program is a critically important... more »
Study: fewer agriculture workers migrating
America’s seasonal agricultural industry suffered from a perceived labor shortage in recent years as the average migrant workers became significantly less mobile, according to a new study from Ball State University. Photo:... more »
