This report examines the demographic and employment characteristics, geographic distribution, and earnings of the agricultural work force in the United States as of 1985. Data are from the Agricultural Work Force Supplement to the December 1985 Current Population Survey. The three components of the agricultural work force--hired farmworkers, farm…

Hired farmworkers make up 1% of all U.S. workers but one-third of production agricultural workers. In 1996, compared to all workers, hired farmworkers earned significantly less and were more likely to be younger, never married, Hispanic, and noncitizens. Over half had not graduated from high school, and three-quarters of noncitizens had only an…

Describes 1984-88 employment and wage trends among California hired farmworkers, following immigration reforms. Describes farm employment trends by commodity and region. Discusses emergence of two-tiered farm labor market. Large farms tended to hire workers directly. More contractors shared expanding labor-contractor market. Suggests implications…

The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 contains controversial provisions to allow temporary "replenishment" farmworkers to enter the United States to harvest perishable crops. This paper describes the role of legal and illegal foreign workers in California agriculture in relation to these provisions and the assumptions on which…

Using the basic input-output model developed by the Texas Input-Output Project for a 19 county South Texas Region, income transfer effects from the extension of unemployment insurance to the agricultural sector were derived. Total income transferred would have ranged from $1.5 million to $2.3 million depending upon coverage provisions. About…

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…

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)

Large numbers of people are still employed in production, marketing, and processing of flue-cured tobacco in eight agricultural subregions in five southeastern states. Mechanization and new technology which is being introduced could result in substantial economic and social problems unless new economic opportunities are developed. However,…

To investigate the effect of technological change upon farm labor use, a stratified random sample of 696 farm workers from a population of 12,215 in Kern County, California, provided a basis for analysis. Some major findings were: (1) The high peak of seasonal labor use has been eliminated, (2) The need for migratory labor is decreasing, (3)…

This report draws on data from the 1997 Census of Agriculture and the 1998 Current Population Survey earnings microdata file to present information on the patterns of farm labor use and the demographic and employment characteristics of hired farmworkers in the United States. Approximately 875,000 persons 15 years of age and older did hired…

During 1974, the Rural Manpower Service provided a comprehensive program of service to all agricultural workers and employers in both rural and urban areas. This program was accomplished through employer relations and applicant registration programs, placement services, promotion of training programs, counseling and testing programs, collection…

The report presents data on the demographic, social, and economic characteristics of persons 14 years of age and over who did hired farmwork during 1975, and summarizes the pertinent changes and trends in the size, composition, earnings, and employment patterns of the hired farm working force. Information is given on the Spanish-origin, white,…

For the last four years, Wisconsin's rural manpower program consisted of three program units--Rural Services, Migrant Services, and Teacher Placement Services. These services reported to and were coordinated by the Director of Central Operations. Ongoing shifts in program emphasis and an extensive reorganization of the State Employment Service…

A stratified random sample of 69 6 workers in 361 households in Kern County, California, was selected to investigate the changes in labor use resulting from farm mechanization, and to explore the trend towards a stable labor force. Some major findings were: (1) Mechanization of the cotton harvest has erased the high peak of seasonal farm labor,…

In 1971, Louisiana's Rural Manpower Service provided the agricultural and rural non-agricultural populations with such services as placement services which included promotion and development of training programs with priority to veterans and other special applicant groups; processing clearance orders and foreign labor importation requests;…