Reading Summaries (6): Farm size and job quality in California & Wisconsin

This paper is describing the relationship between farm size and job quality for hired farm workers. The idea of research starting from the “gap” among scholar’s research focus where the full-time agricultural labor force in nonindustrial farming settings has been almost entirely ignored by sociologists of agriculture (Buttel, 1983). Most research in this field often addresses hired labor issues in polarized terms (family farms vs. factory farms) or only criticizing the labor relations on large-scale farms. In fact, there are many factors that shape job quality for hired workers, for example; labor policies, labor market conditions, racist anti-immigrant sentiment, and the exploitative dynamics of capitalism. For this reasons, the author’s focus is mainly on the role of farm size in shaping job quality.

 

Data conducted from two independently case studies which offer a different setting (organic fruit and vegetable production in California and dairy farming in Wisconsin). California is producing half of the nation’s high-value fresh fruits and vegetables. Most jobs on California organic farms are seasonal, temporary positions, and farmworkers face ergonomic and mechanical hazards. Of the total agricultural workforce, 95 % are foreign-born, primarily from Mexico, and anywhere from 50 to 90 % lack legal authorization. In contrast, Wisconsin’s farming sector mostly of small-scale dairy farms, year-round, full-time positions, which can be a boon for workers. However, most of those jobs are far from ideal (the 10 Dirty Jobs that Nobody Wants) due to the low wages, late shifts, extreme temperatures, and repeated exposure to manure. Wisconsin dairy farmers hire immigrants from Mexico and Central America, who now constitute 40 % of the state’s dairy farm workforce

Although these two studies used different methods and collected data, the rationale to bring together these two case studies are to identify patterns in a wider range of contexts. California data derive from a collaborative study of labor practices of California’s organic growers conducted by the University of California at Berkeley and California Institute for Rural Studies. “sampling frame” for this research are coming from 2,176 organic farms registered with the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Organic Program (2006). The researcher contacted 1,801 growers and completed surveys with 300 of them, for a response rate of 17 %. This paper showcase the findings from 220 surveys completed with farmers who employed workers directly. The authors claimed that it is one of the most extensive studies ever to address labor issues in organic agriculture.

Wisconsin’s research data conducted from 2007 to 2011. They basically [1} stratified the list by region and farm size and then [2] randomly selected farmers from within each farm size category for each region. After an introductory phone call to explain the research project and solicit participation, [3] a survey was administered in person by a bilingual, U.S.-born male research associate with personal experience in dairy farming. Participants included 83 farmers and all of their hired employees available at the time of the visit (103 U.S.-born workers and 270 immigrant workers). [4] the study also includes in-depth interviews with workers (5 women and 7 men representing a range of positions held on dairy farms).

Findings from California shows that although small farms reported higher average entry-level wages, differences in top wages were negligible. Larger farms were more likely offering nonwage benefits, including health insurance, paid time off, and paid retirement plan. Wisconsin case demonstrated that many of the advantages of working on large farms are mediated by race and nativity, as they accrue disproportionately to white, U.S.-born workers. Farmers’ and their peers’ class identities and aspirations.

The authors suggest five recommendations for future research. [1] future research should test whether their findings are replicated in a larger sample of farms and other agricultural commodity sectors. [2] Further analysis of wages in light of detailed data on worker tenure, fringe benefits, bonus schemes, and regional labor market conditions. [3] further investigation in studies of labor relations in agriculture and other industries alike, [4] future studies should also attend to job quality metrics that they have not discussed, [5] scholars should interview workers themselves to identify the job quality parameters they feel are most important.

source of article/journal : Jill Lindsey Harrison & Christy Getz (Farm size and job quality: mixed-methods studies of hired farm work in California and Wisconsin)