Written for young people, this book traces the accomplishments of Cesar Chavez, a labor leader who fought to improve the lives of Mexican-American farmworkers in California. Chavez was born in 1927 in the Gila Valley, Arizona. When Chavez was 10, his family lost their farm and was forced to move to California and become migrant workers. Chavez and…

The report examines characteristics of crew workers (farmworkers who work for contractors) and noncrew workers in 1981 and reviews Federal legislation designed to protect crew workers and to control farm labor contractors. During 1981 approximately 250,000 crew workers comprised 10% of hired farmworkers. Crew workers were 53% White, 28% Hispanic,…

THE NEED FOR LARGE NUMBERS OF FARM WORKERS FOR SHORT PERIODS DURING THE CULTIVATION AND HARVESTING OF CROPS IN WIDELY SEPARATED AREAS RESULTS IN A MIGRATORY WORK FORCE OF APPROXIMATELY 400,000 PERSONS EACH YEAR. MIGRANTS ARE EMPLOYED TO AVOID LOSSES OF PERISHABLE CROPS IN THE FIELDS, TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF GOOD WEATHER OR TO FORESTALL LOSSES DUE TO…

Such factors as type of farm, farm production region, and farm size affect the percentage of farms hiring workers, the number of hours worked by hired workers, the length of the farm workweek, and the hours of labor used per $100 of sales. Labor costs and shortages most directly affected farms that sold $20,000 or more of farm products in 1964 and…

Information is given on the size and composition of the 1971 hired farm working force (HFWF) and on the employment and cash earnings from farm and nonfarm wagework obtained during the year. Data were obtained from a survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census as a supplementary part of the regular Current Population Survey made in December 1971.…

It is stated that the United States is experiencing in the agricultural sector two simultaneous surpluses which together are referred to as the "farm problem:" these are surpluses of products and labor. The primary reasons for the labor surplus are relatively rapid adoption of technological innovations, the approximation of a competitive…

Discrepancies in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (one of America's largest industries) and its relationship to farmworkers and small farmers are discussed in this report. Statistics supporting this are: (1) although 60% of all substandard housing is in rural areas, less than 25% of all Federal housing has been allocated for these areas; (2)…

Rural manpower programs are reviewed. (MS)

Discusses technological innovations affecting the economic and social basis of farm life, focusing on trends, farm equipment (plows, reaping tools, tractors, and harvesters), productivity, and influence of computers in all phases of agribusiness. (JN)

Characteristics of hired farmworkers have changed little during the 1990s. These workers continue to earn about 58 percent as much as all wage and salary workers. Data tables and figures present characteristics of farmworkers and all workers: age, gender, race, educational attainment, citizenship, region, earnings, and occupations. (TD)

Farm labor contractors (FLCs) have become increasingly important in California agriculture. This report examines FLC background characteristics, business practices, and relationships with employers and farm workers, many of whom are seasonal and migrant workers. Over 300 FLCs, farm workers, and growers were interviewed in five California regions.…

This report examines the wage differential necessary to induce nonagricultural workers to work in agriculture. The responsiveness of labor supply to wage changes is important because the Immigration Reform and Control Act may reduce the supply of immigrant farm labor in the United States. A random sample of 931 males with a ninth grade education…

Factors associated with the immigration of the Japanese to the United States, which began in the 1880's, are discussed in this document. The types of occupations Japanese pursued and why and how they were discriminated against in their adopted country are also examined. The historical background behind the relaxation of Japan's emigration policies…

In 1970, the Farm Workers Health Service, which was begun in 1961, included 33 decentralized medical clinics which served 24,000 seasonal farm workers and their families in 17 counties during the peak harvest months. Seventeen clinics offered year-round general medical services, and in 12 counties free medical and dental care was available to farm…

Little of the profits produced by American agriculture stays in rural America. During 1973, the farmer received less than 46 cents of every food dollar spent at the supermarket even though food prices continued to soar. Farm subsidy payments, originally designed to protect the small farmer's income, were diverted to corporate giants, large…