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Farm workers

COVID-19

Northwest growers grapple with COVID-19 as spring harvests start to come in

by Anna King
May 15, 2020
Workers can stay distanced in the fields, but they work in close quarters in areas where the harvest is processed.
Jim Middleton farms asparagus north of Pasco, Wash. He says he’s worried about keeping his workers healthy, especially ones in tighter quarters in his operation’s vegetable packing shed.
Anna King/NW News Network
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Why it's the "nonfarm" payrolls report

by Mitchell Hartman
May 1, 2019
The Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly report doesn't count jobs down on the farm. We explain why.
Farmworkers pull weeds in a spinach field near El Centro, California, in January.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
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E-Verify could make it even harder for farmers and construction companies to find workers

by Andy Uhler
Sep 28, 2018
A bill in Congress would require all employers to use the government’s E-Verify system.
Mexican migrant workers harvest organic parsley at Grant Family Farms on October 11, 2011 in Wellington, Colorado. 
John Moore/Getty Images
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Heat exposure can be deadly for farm workers. Now, advocates are asking the feds to step in

by Eilís O'Neill
Sep 18, 2018
Over the past three decades, about 800 workers have died from heat exposure; almost one in five worked in agriculture.
JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images
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Mushroom farmers dependent on immigrant labor fear worker shortage

by Marketplace Contributor
Jun 13, 2017
Growers say fears of immigration enforcement under Trump may already be hitting their bottom line.
A bed of white agaricus mushrooms, commonly known as button mushrooms, at Pietro Industries in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
Laura Benshoff
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Farm workers face shortage of decent, affordable homes

by Kristofor Husted
Feb 4, 2016
About three-quarters of hired crop workers work within 75 miles from home.
Former migrant farmworker Angel Castro stands in front of a trailer where he used to live, in a neighborhood that still houses many immigrant farmworkers.
Kristofor Husted
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Cellphones bring new leverage for farm workers

by Rowan Moore Gerety
Dec 18, 2014
Workers in Washington state apple orchards use phones to find best-paying jobs.
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Farmers, unions balance economic interests for immigration deal

by Marketplace Contributor
Apr 15, 2013
Farmers hope the proposal to expand farm worker visas will stabilize their labor supply. Unions focus on making sure the deal protects workers and their wages.
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