(FDACS) — Commissioner Nikki Fried and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) are announcing additional COVID-19 testing sites in Hendry County for farmworkers as the fall harvest season begins. The product of a partnership with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), and local county governments, today’s announcement follows COVID-19 testing for farmworkers that was made available earlier this month in Miami Dade, Hillsborough, …
Farmworkers: DeSantis’ Remarks ‘Shameful’
Farm workers are pushing back after Gov. Ron DeSantis said clusters of “overwhelmingly Hispanic” day laborers and agriculture workers are the source for Florida’s recent surge in coronavirus cases. The Republican governor told reporters on Tuesday that migrant workers and Hispanic construction workers have been testing positive for COVID-19, in part, because of cramped living and working conditions. “Some of …
UF Surveys to Identify Impact of Pandemic on Florida’s Agriculture and Marine Industries
(UF/IFAS) — With agriculture and marine industries occupying a large portion of Florida’s economy, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) wants to better understand how measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 are impacting these sectors. Starting today, faculty from the UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics (FRE) department are deploying surveys to UF/IFAS Extension agents …
DHS and USDA Move to Protect American Farmers
Ensure Continued Flow of America’s Food Supply Department to Temporarily Amend Certain H-2A Requirements During COVID-19 National Emergency (USDA) — The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with the support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has announced a temporary final rule to change certain H-2A requirements to help U.S. agricultural employers avoid disruptions in lawful agricultural-related employment, protect the …
COVID-19 Shows Farm Labor System is Broken
(NAFB) — The coronavirus outbreak has exposed major flaws in the American farm labor system. Politico says that’s upping the pressure on the federal government to make migrant labor much more accessible to farmers. It also highlights a lack of health and safety protections for these “essential” workers. Farmworkers who are still planting and harvesting crops have a higher than …
Coronavirus Safety Fact Sheets for Workers
Author: E. Vanessa Campoverde, UF/IFAS (UF/IFAS) — I have received several questions regarding what to do if you have employees or work with others during this Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in agricultural operations and related businesses. While there is plenty of information about how the virus work, how to protect yourself and others, etc. I compiled some information (with images) that can …
Commissioner Nikki Fried Guidance on Essential Food and Agriculture Workers During Stay-at-Home Order
(FDACS) — In response to the Governor issuing a stay-at-home order due to COVID-19, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried offered the following statement on the essential role of food and agriculture workers who are exempt from this order. This exemption is consistent with the Department of Homeland Security’s identification of essential critical infrastructure workers during COVID-19 response. “Agriculture is Florida’s second-largest industry, and it’s first-largest in …
State Department Clears the Way for Agriculture Workforce
(AFBF) — The U.S. State Department revised its restrictions on the processing of visa applications submitted by farm workers in Mexico after hearing concerns that the restrictions would lead to a farm worker shortage in the U.S. Consular officers can now waive the visa interview requirement for eligible first-time and returning H-2A and H-2B applicants, making more workers in the H-2 …
Secretary Perdue Applauds State Department’s H-2 Decision
(USDA) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement in response to the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to authorize temporary waivers for in-person interviews for eligible H-2 visa applicants. “Temporarily waiving in-person interviews for H-2 visa applicants streamlines the application process and helps provide steady labor for the agriculture sector during this …
USDA and DOL Announce Information Sharing to Assist H-2A Employers
(USDA) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced a partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to help facilitate the identification of foreign and domestic workers that may be available and eligible to transfer to other U.S. agricultural sector employers to fulfill critical workforce needs within the U.S. under existing regulatory …