Not displaying correctly? View in Browser

“Why not go out on a limb?  That’s where the fruit is.”

— Will Rogers

Regulatory Actions:

The Polis administration has released a draft of the state’s first overtime pay rules for Colorado farmworkers. 

Twelve workers at a Long Island vineyard became the first agricultural workers to form part of a labor union in New York State.

A farm worker listening session Saturday, originally scheduled to be held at Hirakata Farms and since moved to Colorado State University’s Arkansas Valley Research Center at 27901 County Road 21 in Rocky Ford to accommodate more people, is seeking input on one of the hottest topics in Colorado agriculture right now: the implementation of a new worker rights act.

Legislative Actions:

California is home to the most diligent, abundant and fresh food supply, thanks to the hard-working men and women who work as agricultural workers, ranch hands and workers in our food supply chain. 

Men dressed in jeans and hoodies line the rows of a bus while someone asks them questions in Spanish and films their answers.

H-2 and Other Worker Status Issues:

The 2020 population census revealed that many rural areas in the United States have seen a decrease in population, while urban and suburban areas have grown.

Safety:

On June 26, the temperatures south of Portland, Oregon, approached 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.6 degrees Celsius).

In late September, residents of Sonoma County, one of northern California’s famous wine-making regions, received emergency alerts: the Fremont Fire had ignited, sending plumes of smoke over the dry, brown landscape and threatening nearby vineyards at peak grape harvest time.

NCAE This Week:

The House was out this week but the Senate was in.

A bit of drama played out in the Senate this week (imagine that), as the path was cleared to “kick the debt ceiling can down the road”. The debt ceiling will have to be revisited again in December but stock markets rejoiced at the news that the US would avoid default.

Sponsorships and registrations keep flowing in for NCAE’s Ag Labor Forum to be held at the beautiful M Resort just outside Las Vegas. The agenda is firming up as well as we get ready to roll out to the desert for a LIVE meeting!  

After all these months of being cooped up, it will be great to see everyone again.  I hope you are looking forward to it as well!

Have a great weekend!

Michael

News articles and citations of interest for week ending 2021/10/08

A Montana State University economist recently published two articles in respected economic journals examining influencing factors and impacts of seasonal agricultural labor.