Farm Work 101

Introduction

Farm work in the United States is a vital, yet largely invisible industry. Millions of people labor in farm lands across the country everyday. However, many of us only interact with them when we sit down to eat a meal made from food their work helped produce.

Farm Work 101 is a brief introduction to the issues faced by farm workers in the United States. Although far from comprehensive, we hope you will learn things here that push you to join the farm worker movement in your community.

Most of the text here and following, unless otherwise noted, was taken or adapted from United States Farm worker Fact Sheet, published by the NC Farm worker Institute with funds from the Office of Rural health and Community Care, NC Farm worker Health Program, 2007.

Farm Workers in the United States

Every time we sit at a table to enjoy the fruits and grain and vegetables from our good earth, remember that they come from the work of men and women and children who have been exploited for generations.
- Cesar Chavez, Co-founder, United Farm Workers

Farm workers who labor in the fields today help provide high quality, low-cost, fresh fruits and vegetables all year round. Despite farm workers’ economic and cultural contributions to the communities where they live and work, they continue to be some of the lowest paid, least protected, and unhealthiest workers in the United States.

Our agricultural system has experienced radical transformations in the last roughly half century, marked by two major trends in particular: an extreme decrease in the number of small farms in our country and the increased use of temporary workers who often work on large farms and have little direct control over their workplaces or the market. Today, agribusiness executives often make huge profits while small-scale growers and especially farm workers struggle to get by (Adapted from Charles Thompson in The Human Cost of Food, p.56.).

Some basic facts to consider:

• Demographics: There are two to three million farm workers in the United States. Nearly 80% of them are male, most are younger than 21, and 75% were born in Mexico.
• Health concerns: Farm Labor ranks as one of the top three most dangerous occupations in the US. In addition to hazards in the fields like heat stress and chemical exposure, farm workers face unique burdens to their physical and mental health.
• Pesticide risks: Farm workers suffer from the highest rate of toxic chemical injuries and skin disorders of any workers in the country, as well as significant rates of eye injuries.
• Low wages: Farm workers’ average annual income is $11,000; This makes farm work the second lowest paid job in the nation (after domestic labor).
• Piece-rate pay: Farm workers are often paid by the bucket; in some states they earn as little as $0.40 for a bucked of tomatoes or sweet potatoes. At that rate, farm workers have to pick around two tons of produce (125 buckets) to earn $50.
• Few social benefits: Despite low wages, most farm workers are not eligible for social services. Less than one percent of all farm workers use general assistance welfare, only two percent use social security, and fewer than 15% are Medicaid recipients.
• Housing effects: Substandard migrant housing conditions lead to increased prevalence of lead poisoning, respiratory illnesses, ear infections and diarrhea.
• Children in the fields: By the time a migrant child is 12, he or she may legally work in the fields between 16-18 hours per week, leaving little time for school work.

Sections
Farm Workers in the United States » Agricultural Exceptionalism and Farm Worker Organizing » History of the National Farm Worker Ministry » Farm Worker Organizing Today » What You Can Do