They put food on the nation's tables, but the nation turns a blind eye to their living and working conditions here in the United States.

Farm workers comprise one of the most integral workforces in the United States, but they also are among the most abused and mistreated workers in the country.  They feed our nation, but most of them toil in terrible working conditions for extremely low wages and little job security.  Without their labor, the agriculture industry could not produce all the commodities we take for granted as consumers.

Farm work ranks in the top 10 most dangerous and difficult jobs in the United States,  with workers often having to deal with heavy machinery, pesticides and heatstroke.[1]  Yet these workers are also among the worst-compensated employees in the country, ranking in the bottom 10 lowest-paying jobs, with an average annual individual income between $10,000 and $12,499 and an average annual family income of between $15,000 and $17,499.[2]

Generally farm workers are young: The National Agricultural Workers survey revealed that the average age is 33.[3]  In 2001-2002, 53 percent of hired crop labor force lacked authorization to work in  the U.S., while another 25 percent of crop workers were U.S. citizens, 21 percent were lawful permanent residents and one percent were employment-eligible on another basis, such as with the temporary H-2A visa.[4]

Farm Workers in Colorado

Colorado's roughly 37,000 farms and ranches brought in more than $6 billion in 2007, with about $1.6 billion being net income.[5]  In 2008, Colorado's top agricultural commodities included cattle (5th in U.S.), dairy (16th), wheat (7th), corn for grain (15th), hay and alfalfa (14th), and produce (16th)  Colorado is also 2nd in the nation in sheep, goats and their products.[6]

It is hard to ascertain the total number of farm workers within Colorado.  There are farm workers who live here year-round as well as farm workers who migrate during the growing season.  The farm workers who migrate to Colorado tend to be from Texas, Arizona, Mexico and South America.  We also have had farm workers from Asia, from countries such as Nepal and Thailand.

The vast majority of farm workers are located in four regions of Colorado: the Northeast Region (Adams, Weld, Larimer and Boulder Counties), the Arkansas Valley (Avondale, Manzanola, Rocky Ford, Granada and Lamar), the San Luis Valley (Center, Monte Vista and Alamosa) and the Western Slope (Delta, Olathe, Palisade, Hotchkiss, Paonia and Cedarredge).  Most farm workers who herd sheep and cattle are located in the northeastern or southeastern corners of Colorado. 

Farm workers in Colorado deal with a panoply of work-related issues, including low wages, lack of job security, work-related injuries, occupational hazards (e.g., pesticides, heatstroke), underpayment or unpaid wages, sexual harassment and discrimination.

These problems are often compounded by the culture of fear that exists among farm workers.  They fear retaliation by employers if they try to assert their rights, including being fired or not being hired back for the following season.  As such, the promise of stable employment, however degrading, is of more immediate value to many workers than asserting their legal rights.

Colorado Legal Services, and its predecessor organizations, has been helping farm workers with legal problems for decades.  Since the beginning of 2008, the Migrant Farm Worker Division has helped workers collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid wages and other financial compensation.

 

[1]http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/Careers/01/08/cb.danger/index.html

[2]http://www.forbes.com/2007/06/04/jobs-careers-compensation-lead-careers-cx_pm_0604worstjobs_slide_12.html?thisSpeed=30000

[3]U.S. DOL, The National Agricultural Workers Survey (2001-2002), http://www.doleta.gov/agworker/report9/summary.cfm.

[4]Id.

[5]CDA. http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite?blobcol=urldata&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobkey=id&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobwhere=1237960953264&ssbinary=true

[6]http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Ag_Overview/AgOverview_CO.pdf