8. Workers on organic farms are treated as poorly as their conventional counterparts

By Jason Mark

02 Aug 2006

When Elena Ortiz found a job on an organic raspberry farm after working for nine years in conventionally farmed fields, she was glad for the change. The best part about her new job was that she no longer had to work just feet away from tractors spraying chemical herbicides and pesticides. An added bonus was the fruit itself -- "prettier," she said, and firmer, which made it easier to pick.

Better living without chemicals?

Photos: iStockphoto

But when it came to how Ortiz was treated by her employers, little was different. Her pay remained meager: $500 a week at peak berry-picking season, but as little as $200 a week during much of the year, leaving her and her farmworker husband with little money to buy fruits and vegetables for their five children. The supervisors at her farm, Reiter Berry, were often "aggressive" and capricious. Rules were arbitrary; workers were sometimes closely monitored, but sometimes allowed to work independently. They were, said Ortiz, assigned to "better or worse rows" -- all depending on the whims of the supervisors.

When organizers from the United Farm Workers encouraged the Reiter employees to form a union, the company allegedly responded with intimidation and harassment.

"There was an atmosphere of fear. People were afraid they would be laid off," Ortiz said in a recent interview. (Elena Ortiz is not her real name; fearful of losing her job, she spoke only on condition of anonymity.) "I wish they would treat us better. What can the people do? Nothing."

Garland Reiter, one of the co-owners of the company, took objection to Ortiz's comments. "I think we're a leader in the industry, living by honesty, openness, and respect," he said.

Nevertheless, it appears that worker abuse in the organic industry is widespread.

"There's a common conventional wisdom by a lot of consumers, especially at the higher-end stores, that just because it's organic the workers are treated better," said UFW spokesperson Mark Grossman. "And that's simply not true."

That disconnect between reality and public perception is of increasing concern to farmworker advocates, food activists, and some farmers, who worry that as the organic sector replicates the abusive conditions of conventional agriculture, it is sacrificing the founding values of the sustainable-food movement. The desire to return organic to its roots is driving a slew of initiatives to develop labor standards for organic farms. If successful, the new standards would establish the organic sector as the kind of fully sustainable industry -- both socially responsible and environmentally sound -- that could be a model for the entire economy.

Where Have All the Hippies Gone?

 

Green and red and unfair all over.

When you go to the supermarket and buy produce or packaged goods that carry the organic label, you can feel confident that the food was grown under rigorous environmental standards. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's organic seal, which debuted in 2002, is a guarantee that your fruits and vegetables were cultivated without petroleum-based fertilizers or (with rare exceptions) synthetic chemicals, and that they aren't genetically modified. The organic label, however, goes only so far. While the seal covers a range of environmental practices, it says nothing about labor conditions.

Although comprehensive studies of conditions on organic farms are hard to find, complaints like Ortiz's are not uncommon. For example, Willamette River Organics, one of Oregon's largest organic operations, has been hit with several lawsuits charging violations of minimum-wage laws. A Human Rights Watch report on the exploitation of adolescent workers said the atmosphere at Arizona's organic Pavich Farms was "hostile, suspicious," with laborers apparently not permitted to speak to inspectors. Threemile Canyon, a large organic dairy and potato farm in Oregon, faces accusations of sexual discrimination in its hiring practices.

Workers get no consolation in the form of higher wages or better benefits, either. According to a report published last year by researchers at UC-Davis, a majority of 188 California organic farms surveyed do not pay a living wage or provide medical or retirement plans. In fact, most organic workers earn the same as those in conventional fields -- less (adjusted for inflation) than they were making in the 1970s, when the famous UFW boycotts occurred. "The exploitative conditions that farmworkers face in the U.S. are abysmal -- it's a human-rights crisis," said Richard Mandelbaum, policy analyst at the Farmworker Support Committee. "In terms of wages and labor rights, there's really no difference between organic and conventional."

If that doesn't seem to fit the organic movement's hippie and homesteader origins, the incursion of big business may be partly to blame. Reiter Affiliated Companies, where Ortiz works, is a perfect example of how the movement has shifted. With thousands of employees, Reiter is the biggest supplier to Driscoll Berry, one of the country's largest distributors of strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Driscoll sells both conventionally grown and organic berries -- an indicator of organic's growing popularity, but also a sign of how some companies see organic more as a market niche than as a broad business philosophy.

That niche is now a $14 billion industry in the U.S. Giant food-processing corporations, seeing opportunities for expansion, have become major players in the organic industry. For example, General Mills owns the organic brands Cascadian Farm and Muir Glen. Kellogg owns Sunrise Organic. Even agribusiness giant ConAgra is in on the act, recently introducing organic versions of its Orville Redenbacher popcorn and Hunt's tomato sauce brands.

And while organic's profitability would suggest that there is plenty of money to pay workers better -- for those so inclined -- much of the profits go to retailers and wholesalers higher up the food chain. Raising workers' wages is also complicated by the fact that organic labor costs are disproportionately high, since such operations often depend on hand weeding in place of chemical herbicides.

Ultimately, paying workers more depends on paying farmers more, which appears unlikely in a country that has gotten used to cheap food. "People look down on farmers," said Tim Vos, one of the co-owners of California's Blue Heron Farm, which pays its 10 field workers about $12 an hour. "If you want to pay people well, you need high prices. What would it take to offer benefits? We would have to almost double our prices."

Plea for the Tillerman

 

People who feed people.

Another obstacle toward improving conditions is that, simply put, the treatment of farm laborers doesn't rate high on most people's list of concerns. At least, that's the conclusion of a recent consumer study conducted by researcher Phil Howard at UC-Santa Cruz. The survey found that workers' rights ranked fifth on a list of food-related issues that interested respondents -- right behind the treatment of animals.

Farmer Jim Cochran put it bluntly: "Everybody cares about how the bugs are treated, but nobody cares about how the workers are treated."

Cochran knows what he's talking about. In 1987, his operation, Swanton Berry Farm, became the first organically certified strawberry grower in California. Eleven years later, Swanton became the first organic farm to sign a contract with the UFW. Today Swanton Berry remains the only organic farm in the country to have a collective bargaining agreement with the farmworkers' union. "I like the union label, because it means that the workers are saying, 'It's OK,'" Cochran said.

The 30 workers at Swanton Berry -- who earn between $9 and $11 an hour -- have a medical plan, a pension plan, holiday pay, and subsidized housing in a pair of well-kept bunkhouses with a view of the Pacific. If they need a loan to cover emergency expenses, workers can get an advance on their paychecks. Once workers have put in 500 hours on the farm, they can begin buying stock in the company.

While Cochran's commitment to social justice is laudable, being a union farm makes his costs 15 percent higher than those of other organic growers. Because union certification seems unrealistic for the small and medium-sized farms that still make up the bulk of organic growers, a range of organizations is working on proposals to create some kind of "fair made" label to encourage farmers to adopt better labor policies.

At least half a dozen projects are in the works. The Rural Advancement Foundation International and the Farmworker Support Committee have enlisted five farms in a pilot project demonstrating best labor practices. Growers in Canada have started a "fair deal" label. The organic soap maker Dr. Bronner's is implementing fair-trade standards to "improve the livelihoods of farmers and workers," while some dairy farmers have come together under the Wisconsin Fair Trade cheese initiative.

The slew of different programs demonstrates an energetic grassroots commitment to improving worker treatment. But there is a danger that having too many separate standards will be confusing to consumers and cumbersome for growers. So the various interests have come together in an ad-hoc coalition -- the Domestic Fair Trade Working Group -- to develop a single set of labor standards, a single monitoring process for farms, and one seal that consumers can trust to mean workers were treated right. The draft principles include a living wage for farmworkers, fair prices for farmers, transparent business practices, and family farm ownership.

Coming Soon-ish to a Supermarket Near You

Of course, another alternative would be to try to amend the existing USDA organic seal to include labor standards. But with advocates already busy fighting back efforts by the major food processors to loosen the organic rules, creating an independent label appears the best way to go.

"The government can't lead on this," said Cecil Wright, director of local operations at Organic Valley, a cooperative of more than 800 family-owned dairies, ranches, and farms. "We need to have the people who know what they're doing, who are entrepreneurial, to lead. We believe that at some point in the future we'll need a standard that goes above and beyond the USDA label."

When will that point be? Participants in the coalition agree it will be at least three years before shoppers can expect to see an independent label that certifies decent working conditions. In the meantime, advocates point out that there are a number of steps farmers can take to make their employees feel more valued. A recent report [PDF] by the California Institute for Rural Studies looked at best labor practices on 12 organic farms and identified several low-cost ways for cash-strapped farmers to improve workplace conditions. When interviewed, farmworkers said a slower pace of work, year-round employment, free food from the farm, flexible schedules, and plain old "respectful treatment" would make them feel like their work was important.

The stakes are high when it comes to the successful creation of a "fair labor" organic seal, and the importance of the struggle goes beyond the tight-knit sustainable-food community. If organic farmers can find a way to produce food without exploiting either the environment or their workers, advocates say, they can set an example for other industries to follow.

"For me, the big issue is in terms of progressive movement-building," said Ronnie Cummins, director of the Organic Consumers Association. "It's time to dovetail the health, sustainability, and justice movements. The potential is incredible. But it's going to take some real, hard organizing."

- - - - - - - - - -

Jason Mark lives and works on an organic farm in California, where he is researching a book about the future of food. He is the coauthor, with Kevin Danaher, of Insurrection: Citizen Challenges to Corporate Power.

9.  USDA report disputes claim that farmers are vanishing breed

Farm Press online news

Aug 4, 2006 8:56 AM
By Paul Hollis
Farm Press Editorial Staff

http://southeastfarmpress.com/news/080406-usda-exits/

The U.S. government always has had a knack for manipulating the English language. If you hear the term “revenue enhancements,” you should hold on to your wallet, because a tax increase is inevitable. And if any government official — appointed, elected or otherwise — starts to talk about “transitioning to a world economy,” you can be assured that U.S. jobs soon will be shipped overseas.

HOLLIS

One example of our government’s clever use of the language is the recent USDA report, “Understanding U.S. Farm Exits,” a much more palatable title than perhaps, “The Disappearing U.S. Farmer,” or “U.S. Farmers: A Vanishing Breed.”

The report explains that the rate at which U.S. farms go out of business, or “exit farming,” is about 9 or 10 percent each year, comparable to exit rates for non-farm small businesses in the United States. The rationale being that small businesses have a high exit rate, and most U.S. farms are small businesses. The report doesn’t mention, of course, that while small businesses are important to the economy, most are not feeding and clothing the people of our nation and world.

U.S. farms, contends the report, have not disappeared because the rate of entry into farming is nearly as high as the exit rate. In other words, as many people are giving it a try as are losing their shirts. The relatively stable farm count since the 1970s, says the report, reflects that exits and entries essentially are in balance. The probability of exit is higher for recent entrants than for older, more established farms. Farms operated by African-Americans are more likely to exit than those operated by whites, but the gap between African-American and white exit probabilities has declined substantially since the 1980s. Exit probabilities also differ by specialization, with beef farms less likely to exit than cash grain or hog farms.

According to the report, about 717,100 farms in the United States went out of business — or exited — between 1992 and 1997. But the total number of farms declined by just 13,400 because, “the number of entries (703,700 farms) nearly equaled exits.” In fact, it states, the farm count has remained relatively stable since the 1974 Census, reflecting that exits and entries essentially are in balance.

Understanding farm exits is important for three reasons, says the report. First, knowing which types of farms are most likely to exit might be useful to policymakers interested in the effects of exits on exiting farmers, the remaining farms, and farm communities. Second, exits help reallocate resources between farming and other economic activities and within the farm sector itself. Third, farm exits — and farm entries — play an important role in introducing technologies and productivity growth, as in other industries.

U.S. farm numbers have been relatively stable between agricultural censuses in recent decades, according to the report. But beneath the surface, farming is a much more dynamic industry than the farm count indicates. The relatively small net change in farm numbers masks substantial turnover in farms.

The authors of the USDA report studied two fundamental drivers of farm exits — farm size and operator age. The life cycle of farm operators is important in understanding farm exits because most U.S. farms are fairly small family businesses, and the life of the farm is correlated with the life of the farmer. The correlation is not 100 percent because the farm may continue as a business after an elderly operator leaves. The results show the following:

• Exit rates decline as farm size (measured by sales) increases.

• Nevertheless, exit rates are still 6 to 7 percent for large farms (sales of $250,000 or more).

• The exit rate initially declines with age until it reaches 8 to 9 percent for farmers between 45 and 54 years of age.

• The rate then increases and peaks at 12 to 13 percent for farmers who are at least 65 years old.

• Exit probability is inversely related to business age. It is substantially higher for recent entries than for older, more established farms.

• Exit probability is particularly low for large farms that are at least 14 years old and operated by farmers who are younger than 65. The lower exit probability for these large, well-established farms may help explain the growing concentration of production among fewer farms, particularly if the farms are passed on to other family members and continue in operation.

With farm bill politics in season, you’ll likely be hearing a great deal more in coming months about the decreasing numbers of U.S. farmers, including the rationalization that new technologies, etc., mean that none of us should be alarmed that farmer numbers continue to decline over time.

Anyone who has observed agriculture in recent years has noticed several trends, including fewer and fewer young people entering the farming profession, the increasing average age of farmers, and the decimation of rural communities due to declining farm-based economies. The USDA report touches on some of these trends, but the research methodology and statistics tend to obfuscate the human element.

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10. Vegetable Pest Status Report August 9, 2006
By John Mishanec, IPM Vegetable Program

General Conditions
While counties in central part of eastern NY continue to receive at least 2 heavy rains per week, the area from Kingston south is dry. Growers are irrigating in the southern region of eastern NY.  Evaluate your crops to see if they might need some N.  If the canopy is thin, than a shot of N might be called for.  Do not go overboard as excessive N will slow maturation of fruit and delay harvest. 

Vine Crops
Go out and check your pumpkin fields for powdery mildew (PM).  Look on the undersides of leaves for the telling white spots of powder.  Once you find your first PM this kicks off your spray schedule.  Meg McGrath recommends mobile  fungicides such as Quintec, Nova or Procure, and Pristine rotated with protectant fungicides like bravo, etc.  It  is important to monitor mildew development on the underside of leaves to assess fungicide effectiveness. Fungicide  resistance is a major concern with this disease.

Downy mildew was found in western NY and on Long Island,  there are a number of fields with downy mildew (DM).  This is a serious disease that is carried by storms to other locations.  It used to be fairly rare but we have seen it now for the last three years.  Look for lots of small, less than a half inch, brown angular spots on your vine crop leaves.  After it lands on your field, the leaves will turn brown and die.  On pumpkins, the stems will be still upright and the leaves limp as if the field was hit by frost.  Fortunately, if spotted quickly, there are a number of fungicides that will keep the disease under control.  Forum, Tanos, Phostrol, Ranman and Gravel are all labeled for DM.  Curzate and Tanos will have some kick back activity.  You must tank mix these fungicides with protectant fungicides (Bravo, copper, Maneb, etc)

Sweet Corn
Trap catches in eastern NY, NJ are increasing in European corn borer (ECB) and corn ear worm (CEW)  We are catching consistent numbers or CEW in the neighborhood of 1.5 to 2 per night which indicates a 4-5 day spray schedule.  ECB numbers are increasing and basically at this point in the season growers have few options but to protect their corn in green silk. 

For now, it is important to spray corn with emerging tassels if the field is over a 15% threshold of worm infestation.  To make a decision on spraying the rest of your corn, it is important to follow the trap catches in your location.  CEW are the most dangerous.  CEW  lay their eggs on the silk and when the eggs hatch the larvae will go directly into the tip of the ear.  CEW eggs hatch with 76 degree days (DD).  With a 70 degree temperature average, you will accumulate around 20 DD per day.  Our higher temperatures in the 90's will really push this and you can expect eggs to hatch in 3 days or less.  ECB eggs hatch with 100 DD so it takes a little longer for ECB to hatch.  ECB lay their eggs in the ear zone either on the ear or on the undersides of leaves around the ear.  When the ECB larvae hatch, they are small and it takes a while for them to be big enough to get into the ear.  You have some space with ECB but not with CEW.   The CEW levels drive your spray schedule.  With the levels of CEW we are catching, a 4-5 day schedule on silk corn is called for.

Many growers report that Warrior has not been doing the job it once did.  Try different products if this has been the case on your farm.  For organic growers, Entrust will work fairly well against CEW when the numbers are low.  If insect populations skyrocket, than even hard chemicals have a hard time doing the job. 

Peppers
In some fields we have found bacterial spot on pepper.  The lower leaves have numerous quarter inch and smaller size spots.  The lower leaves Then turn yellow and begin to fall off.  Fixed copper plus Maneb is the recommendation for conventional growers and copper alone for organic growers. 

The second flight of European corn borer (ECB) is just beginning.  ECB will lay their eggs on peppers and when the larvae hatch, they will make a hole just at the edge of the cap.  Water gets into the hole and then the fruit rots.  Spintor of for organic growers,  Entrust will work very well in controlling the ECB larvae on a 5-7 day schedule. 

Tomatoes
Growers should be carefully monitoring their crops looking for late blight.  Look for large, the size of a half dollar black spots on the leaves.  Early in the day, you will see a white ring of spores around the spot.  There is nothing else that looks like late blight so if you see it you will know.  Call your local Cooperative extension office or call me at 518-434-0016 if you think you have late blight. 

Be careful mixing copper with other fungicides as sometimes you will get burning on the new growth.  It may appear you have a disease problem but if it is only on the new growth, than you probably have a burn issue. 

We are also finding lots of early blight on lower leaves.  Look for bronze colored spots with concentric rings in them.  Sometimes the spots are at the edge of the leaf and sometimes they appear as small, quarter inch size spots on the leaf.  Early blight is not an aggressive disease.  It comes on when the plant is stressed and in a weakened condition.  This can be environmental or just from a heavy fruit load.  Now with fruit sizing up, it is putting stress on the plant and along with moist conditions, we are seeing this problem in most fields.  The traditional fungicide for early blight is Bravo but Quadris also dose a great job in controlling the disease.  For organic growers, copper is the best product to use. 

We found a field with small levels of bacterial spot on tomato.  For now, mostly we are finding foliar problems that do not directly impact the fruit.  Bacterial diseases will always cause fruit problems and should be treated with copper. 

Potatoes
We have late blight close to our region on Long Island, it is very important to have protective fungicide sprays already on the plants. Late blight produces large black spots on the leaves.  Sometimes, on the stems, you will see black areas at a stem where a spore germinated.  If you find something you think is late blight, call  your local Cooperative Extension office and have someone come out to positively ID the disease or call me at 518-434-0016.

Leaf hopper is being found in very high numbers in most fields.  Go out and flop a plant into the row and shake it, than flop the plant to the other side of the row. Inspect the ground for leaf hoppers that have fallen off the plant onto the ground.  This is an easy way to see what is happening in the field.  We've already started to see some burning on susceptible varieties.  The edges of the leaves will turn dark brown.  Eventually the whole plant will turn brown and die.  It's important to pay attention to leaf hopper because they can seriously decrease yield without being very evident. For conventional growers, Phaser and Thionex are the insecticides least toxic to ladybird beetles  This is important for aphid suppression.  For organic growers, the options are limited.  Pyganic is the only product that is organic certified that will do the job. 

Cornell Recommends
The online version of the 2006 Integrated Crop and Pest Management Guidelines for Vegetables is now available at http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/recommends/

-- 

John Mishanec

 

 

11. Michigan Asparagus wins Rural Route Film Award

Spargel Productions [log in to unmask]  -- ASPARAGUS! (A Stalk-umentary) a film by Anne de Mare & Kirsten Kelly

 

 

We wanted to send out special thanks to Michiganders Lynn Glaser (Mrs.

Asparagus 1987) and John Bakker (Asparagus Board Director) who came all The way from Oceana County for the New York Premiere at the Rural Route Film Festival last weekend!  We had a terrific audience for the show and Great fun at the Aspara-tini After Party, where we served Michigan asparagus goodies to an enthusiastic crowd!  Big thanks to Alan and Mike at Rural Route, the staff at Anthology Film Archives, Evan at Detour (the best Jazz bar on 13th Street) and all of you who came out in the heat to see the show Support this great festival at http://www.ruralroutefilms.com 

 

 

 

 

Vicki Morrone

Organic Vegetable and Crop Outreach Specialist

Michigan State University

C.S. Mott Sustainable Food Systems

303 Natural Resources Bldg.

East Lansing, MI 48824

517-353-3542

517-282-3557 (cell)

517-353-3834 (fax)