Winter 1994 (v6n1)
	Year-Round and Extended Employment for Agricultural Workers by David Campbell, SAREP Seasonal employment is considered a fact of life for California's farmworkers, but a SAREP-sponsored project concludes that extended and year-round employment for farmworkers can be both feasible and profitable. The two-year study, headed by research agricultural economist Suzanne Vaupel and San Joaquin County Cooperative Extension director Gary Johnston, examines the benefits and challenges for farmers who keep workers employed "year-round" by leveling out the peaks and valleys of seasonal employment. The results are available in a workbook, Year-Round and Extended Employment for Agricultural Workers: Why any How? (available for $8 from UC SAREP, 916/752-7556). "It turns out that strategies such as crop diversity, which are introduced for agronomic reasons, can also improve labor conditions for both farmers and farmworkers," says Vaupel. "With some imagination and planning, farmers can find diverse crops and other strategies which spread out the work and avoid the problems of layoffs and rehires, while workers can find stable employment in a single location." The researchers gathered their information from a variety of sources. With the help of Franz Kegel, San Joaquin County emeritus farm advisor, they interviewed 32 San Joaquin County fruit, nut, field crop and vegetable farmers. They also conducted in-depth case studies of three innovative growers, one each in Riverside, Yolo, and Mendocino counties. Results from this work were then presented to focus groups of farmers in the Fresno and Stockton areas and at major farm conferences for comment and feedback. According to the study, the path to year-round worker employment is different for each farmer. One began year-round employment because he wanted to stay in the market with a constant supply of fresh produce. Another started extending his farming/employment sea son by growing winter crops because he had limited water to irrigate summer crops. Still another saw profitable opportunities for diversifying into alternative crops and practices. Most of the strategies used to extend the season and employ workers year-round fall into the following categories: Diversifying crops and crop varieties, as well as farm enterprises; Pacing the work by staggering planting, spreading tasks over a longer period of time, and saving work for the off-season; Selective mechanization to avoid labor-saving technologies that do not help to stabilize employment of workers or to avoid labor peaks; Use of new technologies such as plastic tunnels, hot caps, and greenhouse starts to extend the Season Use of break-even or marginal return crops for both agronomic reasons (crop rotation) and to fill in employment gaps; Connecting with other farmers and local industries that offer off-season employment. Farmers using these strategies experience immediate and tangible benefits, including lower training costs, availability of workers when they are needed, increased productivity and dependability, lower unemployment and workers' compensation insurance rates, less damage to equipment, and a year-round cash flow. These same farmers report feelings of personal satisfaction from a closer and more supportive relationship with their workers "One farmer went so far as to offer interest free new auto loans to his workers because he was sick of seeing them pay 25 percent interest," says Johnston. More than 90 percent of the farmers interviewed for the study regularly provide interest-free short-term loans and advances to their regular workers. The workbook also notes the challenges for farmers who would like to move toward year-round employment. While climate and soils provide some limitations, the biggest challenges are human. One farmer noted that some workers wanted the freedom to travel to Mexico to visit family during peak season, and had to be told they could not if they wanted the job. Another noted that a closer relationship with workers meant a greater sense of responsibility toward their problems, including the difficulties of finding housing and negotiating bank loans. Although farmers with year-round employees pay somewhat higher wages and benefits than if they were using seasonal workers hired through a farm labor contractor, they believe that their bottom-line is higher. "Profitability is the main answer farmers give to why they hire workers for extended and year-round employment," says Vaupel. Indeed, the creative strategies described in this workbook are an excellent example of how an integrated approach to farming operations can be, simultaneously, economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially responsible. For more information, contact either Suzanne Vaupel, Vaupel Associates, 5864 13th Street, Sacramento, CA 9582Z, (916) 395-6836; or Gary Johnston, County Director, UCCE, 420 South Wilson Way, Stockton, CA 95205, (209) 468-2085. The Vaupel/Johnston project was funded for $19,795, 1991-93. It is one of ten economic and public policy grants funded by SAREP since 1991. [ Back | Search | Feedback ]