The U.S. pork industry has been noting the struggles many producers across the country are having when it comes to a shortage with labor. An updated study reflecting the current state of the labor market was released by Iowa State University economists, and it notes despite competitive wages, the U.S. pork industry continues to struggle with a labor shortage that …
AEM: 100,000 Equipment Manufacturing Jobs Possible Through Infrastructure Efforts
More than 100,000 family-sustaining equipment manufacturing jobs can be created before the end of President Biden’s first term in office, according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. AEM says these are high-skilled jobs in primarily rural areas that pay an average annual income of $88,000, which is 35 percent above the current national average. The data comes from a study …
Keeping Young Ag Workers Safe
The National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety (NCCRAHS) announced resources that can be used to help keep young agriculture workers safe. NCCRAHS pointed out that there are serious risks to children doing farm work, as well as positives. During the past decade, more youth have died working in agriculture than in all other industries combined, the …
Vilsack Delivers Statement at Immigrant Farmworkers Hearing
On Wednesday, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack testified during the “Immigrant Farmworkers are Essential to Feeding America” Judiciary Committee hearing. This was the first-ever appearance by an Agriculture Secretary before the full Senate Judiciary Committee. During his opening statement, Vilsack discussed the important role immigrant farmworkers have in the food and agriculture industry and the overall economy. Vilsack said we …
NMPF Urging Senate to Craft a Bill for Essential Immigrant Farmworkers
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing Wednesday that highlighted the importance of immigrant farmworkers to our nation’s food supply and rural communities. The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) thanked the Committee for holding the hearing. In a release NMPF said, “Immigrant employees are vital to the dairy industry, with an estimated 79% of the U.S. milk supply produced …
Pork Producers Urge Congress to Address Comprehensive Labor Reform
According to the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), the U.S. pork industry is suffering from a labor shortage that could increase production costs and consumer food prices if not addressed through visa reform to provide better access to the foreign-born workers on which it depends. And NPPC President Jen Sorenson testified Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee about this shortage. …
Avoiding Heat-Related Deaths
A new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) report showed 215 people in Florida died from heat-related causes in the last 10 years. The fact that heat-related deaths happen throughout the year surprised the researchers who wrote the report. Serap Gorucu, a UF/IFAS assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering, helped write the report. She and …
Florida Immigration Fight to be Heard in September
(NSF/June 6, 2021) — A federal appeals court will hear arguments in September in Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s challenge to immigration-enforcement moves by the Biden administration. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has scheduled arguments the week of Sept. 20 in Miami, according to court documents. Moody went to the appeals court last month after U.S. District Judge …
Crew Leaders Backed in Overtime Fight
A federal appeals court sided with two crew leaders on Friday in a dispute about whether they should be paid overtime for driving farmworkers to accomplish tasks like buy groceries, go to the bank and do laundry. Crew leaders Jose Ramirez and Joel Santana filed the lawsuit in 2017 against Statewide Harvesting & Hauling, LLC, which is a Florida company …
Vilsack Discusses History of Discrimination by the USDA
During that hearing, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told lawmakers, “We will over the next four years do everything we can to root out whatever systemic racism and barriers that may exist at the Department of Agriculture.” In a recent interview with Southeast AgNet, Vilsack explained what they are looking at. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) wants producers to know …