Hired Farm Labor Use on Fruit, Vegetable, and Horticultural Specialty Farms

摘要

Fruit, vegetable, and horticultural specialty (FVH) farms are the largest usersof hired and contract labor on a per-farm basis. Because of the unique nature of FVH production, the use of labor on FVH farms differs markedly from that on other types of farms. FVH production requires a large number of workers for short, intermittent periods during critical planting and harvest seasons. Migrant farmworkers and undocumented foreign workers are most often associated with seasonal hand-harvest jobs in the FVH sector. The use of contract labor is prevalent on fruit and vegetable farms as well. Factors such as future production and consumer demand trends, continued mechanization of FVH production, foreign competition and international trade, immigration reform, and changes in Federal laws, regulations, and programs affecting farm labor could have important implications on the adequacy of farm labor supply on FVH farms.