Sp Sy 8 (2-09) Farm Labor National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released February 20, 2009, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Farm Labor" call Mark Aitken at 202-720-6146, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Hired Workers Up 2 Percent, Wage Rates up 1 Percent From a Year Ago There were 785,000 hired workers on the Nation's farms and ranches during the week of January 11-17, 2009, up 2 percent from a year ago. Of these hired workers, 595,000 workers were hired directly by farm operators. Agricultural service employees on farms and ranches made up the remaining 190,000 workers. Farm operators paid their hired workers an average wage of $10.93 per hour during the January 2009 reference week, up 12 cents from a year earlier. Field workers received an average of $9.96 per hour, up 29 cents from last January, while livestock workers earned $10.27 per hour compared with $10.18 a year earlier. The field and livestock worker combined wage rate, at $10.08 per hour, was up 20 cents from last year. The number of hours worked averaged 38.3 hours for hired workers during the survey week, down fractionally from a year ago. The largest increases in the number of hired workers from last year occurred in the Pacific (Oregon and Washington), Delta (Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi), Southern Plains (Oklahoma and Texas), and Mountain III (Arizona and New Mexico) regions. In the Pacific region, rain and snowstorms in Washington just prior to the reference week caused serious flooding. Therefore, more field workers were needed to help with orchard cleanup. Field preparation for spring planted crops in the Delta region gained momentum under mostly dry conditions. Also, strawberry growers hastened to protect their crops from freeze damage. These two factors combined to cause an increase in worker demand. In the Southern Plains region, dry conditions in Texas allowed cotton harvest and seedbed preparations for spring plantings to accelerate. Therefore, more hired workers were necessary. Above normal temperatures and dry weather in the Mountain III region allowed small grain planting and alfalfa harvest to progress rapidly, resulting in a greater demand for hired workers. The largest decreases in the number of hired workers from last year occurred in Florida, and in the Appalachian II (Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia), Corn Belt II (Iowa and Missouri), and Mountain I (Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming) regions. In Florida, declining demand from the equine, dairy, and horticulture industries due to the continuing economic downturn kept the number of hired workers below last year. Extremely cold conditions in the Appalachian II region, compared with the previous year's reference week, kept agricultural activity minimized, so fewer hired workers were needed. In the Corn Belt II region, record low temperatures severely curtailed most outdoor farm work, and snow-covered roads in Iowa limited grain movement for several days. Therefore, hired worker demand was lower than last year. Unseasonably warm conditions in the Mountain I region reduced the amount of supplemental feeding necessary, so fewer livestock workers were necessary. Hired worker wage rates were generally above a year ago in most regions. The largest increases occurred in the Mountain I, Southeast (Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina), Southern Plains, Appalachian I (North Carolina), Appalachian II, and Delta regions. In the Mountain I region, the higher wages were due to a larger proportion of more highly skilled workers on grain and cattle operations. Cold weather in the Southeast region led to increased supplemental feeding which necessitated more machine operators to assist with hay movement. Therefore, average wages increased. In the Southern Plains region, the higher wages were due to the increased cotton harvest and planting preparation activity which led to greater demand for tractor drivers and combining crews, thereby raising the average wage. A higher percentage of nursery and greenhouse workers in the Appalachian I region caused the average wage to increase. In the Appalachian II region, the higher wages were due to a lower proportion of part time workers. There were more salaried workers working fewer hours in the Delta region. This pushed the average wage higher. Farm Labor: Employment and Wage Rates, United States, January 11-17, 2009, with Comparisons 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : January 6-12, : October 12-18, : January 11-17, Farm Employment : 2008 : 2008 : 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : Hired Workers : 594 *804 595 150 Days or More : 506 *577 497 149 Days or Less : 88 *227 98 : Agricultural Services : Workers Working on Farms : 179 316 190 : Hired Farm & Service Workers : 773 *1,120 785 : : Hours per Week : Hours Worked : Hired : 38.4 *41.4 38.3 : : Dollars per Hour : Wage Rate for : All Hired Workers 2/ 3/ : 10.81 10.70 10.93 : Type of Worker : Field & Livestock Combined : 9.88 *10.09 10.08 Field : 9.67 10.05 9.96 Livestock : 10.18 *10.21 10.27 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised. 1/ Excludes AK. 2/ Benefits, such as housing and meals, are provided some workers but the values are not included in the wage rates. 3/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. Hired Workers: Number and Hours Worked by Region and United States, January 11-17, 2009 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hired :--------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. : : Expected to be Employed : and : Number :-------------------------------: Number Region 2/ : of : 150 Days : 149 Days : of Hours : Workers : or More : or Less : Worked -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -------------- 1,000 ------------- Hours per Week : Northeast I : 26 22 4 41.3 Northeast II : 21 19 2 37.0 : Appalachian I : 22 20 2 35.9 Appalachian II : 17 12 5 31.0 : Southeast : 30 22 8 38.8 FL : 38 31 7 37.8 : Lake : 43 36 7 34.0 : Cornbelt I : 26 24 2 35.5 Cornbelt II : 20 16 4 34.0 : Delta : 27 21 6 30.7 : Northern Plains : 20 18 2 33.1 : Southern Plains : 65 55 10 40.4 : Mountain I : 15 13 2 40.0 Mountain II : 15 14 1 41.5 Mountain III : 20 18 2 49.7 : Pacific : 52 39 13 37.8 CA : 132 112 20 41.3 : HI : 6 5 1 37.9 : US 3/ : 595 497 98 38.3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 14. 3/ Excludes AK. Hired Workers: Wage Rates for Type of Worker and All Hired Workers by Region and United States, January 11-17, 2009 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Type of Worker : U.S. :--------------------------------------------: Wage Rates for and : : :Field & Lvstk :All Hired Workers Region 2/ : Field : Livestock : Combined : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : Northeast I : 10.66 10.03 10.25 10.91 Northeast II : 10.80 9.69 10.30 11.40 : Appalachian I : 10.08 9.91 10.00 10.80 Appalachian II : 8.92 10.52 9.80 10.99 : Southeast : 9.65 9.65 9.65 10.05 FL : 8.95 9.45 9.00 10.16 : Lake : 10.83 9.96 10.20 11.02 : Cornbelt I : 11.85 10.85 11.30 11.90 Cornbelt II : 11.06 11.27 11.20 11.40 : Delta : 9.43 9.83 9.55 10.04 : Northern Plains : 10.29 10.53 10.42 10.90 : Southern Plains : 10.06 10.24 10.15 10.70 : Mountain I : 11.49 10.65 10.85 11.50 Mountain II : 9.37 8.90 9.05 10.32 Mountain III : 9.27 10.58 9.75 10.30 : Pacific : 10.35 9.48 10.25 11.40 CA : 9.81 10.95 10.10 11.16 : HI 3/ : 10.70 10.93 12.69 : US 4/ : 9.96 10.27 10.08 10.93 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 14. 3/ Insufficient data for livestock. 4/ Excludes AK. Hired Workers: Number and Hours Worked by Region and United States, October 12-18, 2008 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hired :--------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. : : Expected to be Employed : and : Number :-------------------------------: Number Region 2/ : of : 150 Days : 149 Days : of Hours : Workers : or More : or Less : Worked -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : --------------- 1,000 -------------- Hours per Week : Northeast I : 42 28 14 42.1 Northeast II : 33 21 12 36.8 : Appalachian I : 37 28 9 38.3 Appalachian II : 23 13 10 35.1 : Southeast : 31 23 8 39.3 FL : 38 32 6 39.7 : Lake : 66 42 24 36.2 : Cornbelt I : 38 27 11 37.2 Cornbelt II : 32 25 7 37.0 : Delta : 36 26 10 42.4 : Northern Plains : 34 20 14 43.3 : Southern Plains : 60 43 17 36.7 : Mountain I : 23 18 5 45.6 Mountain II : 18 13 5 39.2 Mountain III : 21 19 2 44.5 : Pacific : 90 53 37 45.5 CA : *176 *141 *35 *46.1 : HI : 6 5 1 38.9 : US 3/ : *804 *577 *227 *41.4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised. 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 14. 3/ Excludes AK. Hired Workers: Wage Rates for Type of Worker and All Hired Workers by Region and United States, October 12-18, 2008 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Type of Worker : U.S. :--------------------------------------------: Wage Rates for and : : :Field & Lvstk :All Hired Workers Region 2/ : Field : Livestock : Combined : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : Northeast I : 10.66 10.08 10.45 10.95 Northeast II : 9.67 9.24 9.57 10.25 : Appalachian I : 9.55 9.62 9.57 10.20 Appalachian II : 9.22 9.82 9.45 10.32 : Southeast : 9.04 9.44 9.12 9.52 FL : 8.90 9.30 8.95 10.09 : Lake : 11.43 10.20 11.00 11.49 : Cornbelt I : 10.31 10.05 10.25 10.60 Cornbelt II : 10.62 11.37 10.90 11.50 : Delta : 8.51 8.83 8.60 8.90 : Northern Plains : 10.66 9.89 10.40 10.94 : Southern Plains : 9.44 9.58 9.50 10.10 : Mountain I : 9.71 9.50 9.61 10.10 Mountain II : 9.35 10.13 9.70 10.53 Mountain III : 9.44 10.80 10.00 10.70 : Pacific : 10.94 10.54 10.90 11.37 CA : 9.95 *11.90 *10.22 *10.93 : HI 3/ : 11.00 11.21 13.24 : US 4/ : 10.05 *10.21 *10.09 10.70 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised. 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 14. 3/ Insufficient data for livestock. 4/ Excludes AK. Hired Workers: Number and Hours Worked by Region and United States, January 6-12, 2008 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hired :--------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. : : Expected to be Employed : and : Number :-------------------------------: Number Region 2/ : of : 150 Days : 149 Days : of Hours : Workers : or More : or Less : Worked -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -------------- 1,000 ------------- Hours per Week : Northeast I : 23 21 2 41.5 Northeast II : 20 18 2 38.4 : Appalachian I : 23 21 2 35.6 Appalachian II : 27 18 9 32.2 : Southeast : 29 22 7 37.3 FL : 49 45 4 41.8 : Lake : 40 34 6 33.1 : Cornbelt I : 27 22 5 34.7 Cornbelt II : 27 22 5 36.8 : Delta : 19 14 5 38.0 : Northern Plains : 21 20 1 38.8 : Southern Plains : 59 52 7 38.4 : Mountain I : 19 17 2 40.0 Mountain II : 16 14 2 42.3 Mountain III : 15 14 1 46.6 : Pacific : 42 33 9 35.7 CA : 132 114 18 40.7 : HI : 6 5 1 38.4 : US 3/ : 594 506 88 38.4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 14. 3/ Excludes AK. Hired Workers: Wage Rates for Type of Worker and All Hired Workers by Region and United States, January 6-12, 2008 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Type of Worker : U.S. :--------------------------------------------: Wage Rates for and : : :Field & Lvstk :All Hired Workers Region 2/ : Field : Livestock : Combined : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : Northeast I : 11.59 10.02 10.60 11.60 Northeast II : 10.06 8.90 9.50 11.31 : Appalachian I : 8.81 9.87 9.28 10.02 Appalachian II : 8.53 9.56 9.15 10.22 : Southeast : 8.47 8.87 8.62 9.03 FL : 9.00 9.20 9.03 9.98 : Lake : 10.93 10.67 10.75 11.72 : Cornbelt I : 10.79 10.92 10.85 11.60 Cornbelt II : 11.38 10.82 10.90 11.42 : Delta : 8.70 8.85 8.75 9.27 : Northern Plains : 11.31 11.04 11.15 11.70 : Southern Plains : 8.49 10.03 9.30 9.81 : Mountain I : 9.62 9.98 9.90 10.40 Mountain II : 9.08 9.47 9.30 9.96 Mountain III : 8.68 10.47 9.41 9.95 : Pacific : 9.94 11.68 10.14 11.25 CA : 10.20 10.70 10.32 11.56 : HI 3/ : 10.80 10.92 13.04 : US 4/ : 9.67 10.18 9.88 10.81 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 14. 3/ Insufficient data for livestock. 4/ Excludes AK. Field and Livestock Workers Combined: Wage Rates, by Type of Farm, by Region and 48 States 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : January 6-12, 2008 :--------------------------------------------------------------- Region 2/ : Field : Other : Livestock & : All : Crops : Crops : Poultry : Farms -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : Northeast : 3/ 10.85 9.62 10.12 Appalachian : 8.14 8.93 9.72 9.21 Southeast : 8.22 8.92 8.87 8.88 Lake : 8.81 11.75 10.47 10.75 Cornbelt : 11.15 11.32 10.59 10.88 Delta : 9.60 8.24 8.67 8.75 Northern Plains : 10.84 11.33 11.31 11.15 Southern Plains : 7.61 8.16 10.13 9.30 Mountain : 10.59 8.69 9.80 9.53 Pacific : 10.52 10.03 10.78 10.23 48 States : 9.79 9.68 10.09 9.87 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Field and Livestock Workers Combined: Wage Rates, by Type of Farm, by Region and 48 States 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : January 11-17, 2009 :--------------------------------------------------------------- Region 2/ : Field : Other : Livestock & : All : Crops : Crops : Poultry : Farms -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : Northeast : 3/ 10.63 9.94 10.27 Appalachian : 9.23 10.10 10.03 9.92 Southeast : 9.99 9.06 9.75 9.31 Lake : 11.25 9.80 10.16 10.20 Cornbelt : 11.35 11.05 11.16 11.26 Delta : 9.04 9.60 10.07 9.55 Northern Plains : 10.41 10.16 10.43 10.42 Southern Plains : 10.88 8.60 10.50 10.15 Mountain : 10.75 9.15 10.12 9.87 Pacific : 11.36 9.95 10.45 10.14 48 States : 10.67 9.68 10.28 10.08 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Regions consist of the following States: Northeast: CT, DE, MD, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT. Appalachian: KY, NC, TN, VA, WV. Southeast: AL, FL, GA, SC. Lake: MI, MN, WI. Cornbelt: IA, IL, IN, MO, OH. Delta: AR, LA, MS. Northern Plains: KS, NE, ND, SD. Southern Plains: OK, TX. Mountain: AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY. Pacific: CA, OR, WA. 48 States: All States, excluding AK and HI. 3/ Insufficient data. All Hired Workers: Wage Rates, by Economic Class of Farm by Region and 48 States 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : January 6-12, 2008 :--------------------------------------------------------------------- Region 2/: Gross Value Sales-$1,000's : :-----------------------------------------------------------: All : <50 : 50-99 : 100-249 : 250-499 : 500-999 : 1,000+ : Farms -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : N. East : 10.50 9.71 10.54 10.53 10.82 11.89 11.47 Appal. : 9.26 9.14 10.38 9.75 10.52 10.54 10.12 S. East : 9.29 8.43 8.55 9.03 9.39 9.86 9.65 Lake : 9.77 8.90 12.32 9.52 10.55 12.55 11.72 Cornbelt : 11.70 11.27 9.45 3/ 11.23 11.41 11.51 Delta : 3/ 3/ 8.41 9.15 9.52 8.91 9.27 N. Plains : 10.90 3/ 9.93 13.41 10.70 11.77 11.70 S. Plains : 7.53 11.34 9.84 12.15 8.51 9.88 9.81 Mountain : 9.56 10.18 9.12 11.41 9.33 10.22 10.11 Pacific : 11.16 11.73 12.44 11.13 11.42 11.23 11.34 48 States : 9.70 11.06 10.43 11.30 10.68 10.92 10.74 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All Hired Workers: Wage Rates, by Economic Class of Farm by Region and 48 States 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : January 11-17, 2009 :--------------------------------------------------------------------- Region 2/: Gross Value Sales-$1,000's : :-----------------------------------------------------------: All : <50 : 50-99 : 100-249 : 250-499 : 500-999 : 1,000+ : Farms -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : N. East : 13.20 8.85 9.39 10.50 9.95 11.80 11.12 Appal. : 9.22 10.82 8.65 9.51 10.45 12.04 10.88 S. East : 8.22 9.37 10.83 9.08 10.53 10.46 10.11 Lake : 3/ 8.02 9.42 9.35 10.41 11.50 11.02 Cornbelt : 10.14 11.60 9.38 10.51 12.25 12.64 11.69 Delta : 9.57 8.27 8.36 8.43 8.24 11.05 10.04 N. Plains : 11.51 3/ 9.95 10.07 11.48 11.68 10.90 S. Plains : 9.03 10.39 3/ 11.35 9.34 10.13 10.70 Mountain : 9.05 10.59 10.42 13.40 8.40 10.87 10.63 Pacific : 9.39 10.66 12.33 11.70 12.19 11.14 11.22 48 States : 9.45 10.52 10.85 10.93 10.52 11.20 10.91 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Regions consist of the following States: Northeast: CT, DE, MD, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT. Appalachian: KY, NC, TN, VA, WV. Southeast: AL, FL, GA, SC. Lake: MI, MN, WI. Cornbelt: IA, IL, IN, MO, OH. Delta: AR, LA, MS. Northern Plains: KS, NE, ND, SD. Southern Plains: OK, TX. Mountain: AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY. Pacific: CA, OR, WA. 48 States: All States, excluding AK and HI. 3/ Insufficient data. Field and Livestock Workers: Distribution by Type of Farm, 48 States 1/ 2/ 3/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Type of : January 6-12, : October 12-18, : January 11-17, Farm : 2008 : 2008 : 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent of Field and Livestock Workers : Field Crops : 10 15 11 Other Crops : 48 51 44 Livestock, Dairy, : & Poultry : 42 34 45 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hired Workers: Distribution by Economic Class of Farm, 48 States 1/ 3/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gross Value : January 6-12, : October 12-18, : January 11-17, of Sales : 2008 : 2008 : 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent of Hired Workers : Less than $50,000 : 8 10 10 $50,000-$99,999 : 6 4 4 $100,000-$249,999 : 8 10 9 $250,000-$499,999 : 11 12 12 $500,000-$999,999 : 12 15 11 $1,000,000 and over : 55 49 54 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hired Workers: Distribution by Category, United States, 1/ 3/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : January 6-12, : October 12-18, : January 11-17, Category : 2008 : 2008 : 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent of Hired Workers Employed on Farms Hiring : 1 Worker : 11 9 11 2 Workers : 9 10 10 3-6 Workers : 18 21 20 7-10 Workers : 7 8 10 11-20 Workers : 11 12 12 21-50 Workers : 16 14 13 51 or more Workers : 28 26 24 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ 48 States, excluding AK and HI. 2/ Field and Livestock Workers combined. 3/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. Agricultural Services Agricultural service operations provided 190,000 workers for the Nation's farms and ranches during the week of January 11-17, 2009. Agricultural service workers in California numbered 103,000 this January, up 7 percent from last year. Florida's number of agricultural service workers was 9,000, unchanged from last year. The average wages received by agricultural service workers in California and Florida were $11.05 and $10.05 per hour, respectively. Comparable wages in January 2008 were $10.00 per hour in California and $9.90 per hour in Florida. Agricultural Service Workers: Number, Hours Worked, and Wage Rates, for California, Florida, and United States 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number of Workers : Hours : Wage : Working on Farms : Worked 2/ : Rates 2/ 3/ State:------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Jan : Oct : Jan : Jan : Oct : Jan : Jan : Oct : Jan : 2008 : 2008 : 2009 : 2008 : 2008 : 2009 : 2008 : 2008 : 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -------- 1,000 ------- ------- Hours ------ Dollars per Hour : CA : 96.0 132.0 103.0 34.0 38.6 34.7 10.00 10.75 11.05 FL : 9.0 3.0 9.0 41.0 42.0 36.7 9.90 10.05 10.05 : US : 179.0 316.0 190.0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Data are for Agricultural Services performed on the farm by custom service units such as crew leaders or custom crews. These statistics are not included in the State-Regional tables. 2/ United States data not available. 3/ Benefits, such as housing and meals, are provided to some workers but the values are not included in the wage rates. Farm Labor Regions Region States Northeast I CT, ME, MA, NH, NY, RI, VT. Northeast II DE, MD, NJ, PA. Appalachian I NC, VA. Appalachian II KY, TN, WV. Southeast AL, GA, SC. Lake MI, MN, WI. Cornbelt I IL, IN, OH. Cornbelt II IA, MO. Delta AR, LA, MS. Northern Plains KS, NE, ND, SD. Southern Plains OK, TX. Mountain I ID, MT, WY. Mountain II CO, NV, UT. Mountain III AZ, NM. Pacific OR, WA. Farm Labor Definitions The following definitions are provided to assist in interpreting statistics published in quarterly Farm Labor reports. To ensure consistency in data collection, the questionnaires and instruction manual used by the interviewers provide more in-depth explanations of these terms. Farm or Ranch: A place that sells, or would normally sell, at least $1,000 worth of agricultural products during the year. Agricultural Work: Work done on a farm or ranch in connection with the production of agricultural products, including nursery and greenhouse products and animal specialties such as fur farms or apiaries. Also included is work done off the farm to handle farm related business, such as trips to buy feed or deliver products to local market. Hired Worker: Anyone, other than an agricultural service worker, who was paid for at least one hour of agricultural work on a farm or ranch. Worker type is determined by what the employee was primarily hired to do, not necessarily what work was done during the survey week. Type of workers include: Field Workers: Employees engaged in planting, tending and harvesting crops including operation of farm machinery on crop farms. Livestock Workers: Employees tending livestock, milking cows or caring for poultry, including operation of farm machinery on livestock or poultry operations. Supervisors: Hired managers, range foremen, crew leaders, etc. Other Workers: Employees engaged in agricultural work not included in the other three categories. Bookkeepers and pilots are examples. Methods of Pay: All wage rates are calculated based on total wages paid and total hours worked during the survey reference week. Wages paid other than hourly (bi-weekly, monthly, etc.) are converted to an hourly basis prior to summarization. Wages paid by piece rate (per quantity of produce picked, etc.) are also converted to an hourly basis. Perquisites: Benefits, such as cash bonuses, housing, or meals, provided to an employee in addition to pay are included in perquisites. Wage rates published in this release do not include the value of these benefits. Term of Employment: The length of time during the year the farm operator expects to employ those workers who were on the payroll during the survey week. Definitions - continued Agricultural Service: Any farm-related service performed on a farm or ranch on a contract or fee basis. This primarily includes activities performed by contract workers on fruit, vegetable, or berry operations. It also includes custom work (see below), veterinarian work, artificial insemination, sheep shearing, milk testing, or any other farm-related activity performed on a farm or ranch on a "fee per service" basis rather than hourly. Contract Labor: Contract workers are paid by a crew leader, contractor, buyer, processor, cooperative, or other person who has an oral or written agreement with a farmer/rancher. Pruning, thinning, weeding or harvesting of fruit, vegetable or berry crops are examples. A machine is not a part of the service activity provided by the contractor. Custom Work: Work performed by machines and labor hired as a unit. Hay baling, combining, corn or cotton picking, spraying, fertilizing, and laser leveling are examples of custom work when the equipment is included in the service activity. Type of Farm (or Ranch): An operation is classified in the farm type which accounts for the largest portion of the total gross value of sales for its agricultural production. The three types of farms broken out in this publication are: Field Crops: A farm producing wheat, rice, corn, soybeans, barley, dry beans, rye, sorghum, cotton, popcorn, tobacco, or other such crops. Other Crops: A farm producing vegetables, melons, berry crops, grapes, tree nuts, citrus fruits, deciduous tree fruits, avocados, dates, figs, olives, nursery, or greenhouse crops. This category also includes farms producing potatoes, sugar crops, hay, peanuts, hops, mint, and maple syrup. Livestock or Poultry: A farm producing cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, milk, chickens, eggs, turkeys, or animal specialties such as furs, fish, honey, etc. Gross Value of Sales: This includes all income during a year from the sale of crops, livestock, dairy, poultry, or other related agricultural products, including the landlord's share. When commodities are placed under CCC loan, they are considered as sold. Reliability of Farm Labor Estimates Survey Procedures: These data were collected by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) during the last two weeks of January using sampling procedures to ensure every employer of agricultural workers had a chance of being selected. Two samples of farm operators are selected. First, NASS maintains a list of farms that hire farm workers. Farms on this list are classified by size and type. Those expected to employ large numbers of workers are selected with greater frequency than those hiring few or no workers. A second sample consists of segments of land scientifically selected from an area sampling frame. Each June, highly trained interviewers locate each selected land segment and identify every farm operating land within the sample segment's boundaries. The names of farms found in these area segments are matched against the NASS list of farms; those not found on the list are included in the labor survey sample to represent all farms. This methodology is known as multiple frame sampling, with an area sample used to measure the incompleteness of the list. Additionally, a list of agricultural service firms was sampled in California and Florida. The survey reference week was January 11-17, 2009. Reliability: Two types of errors, sampling and non-sampling, are always present in an estimate based on a sample survey. Both types affect the "accuracy" of the estimates. Sampling error occurs because a complete census is not taken. The sampling error measures the variation in estimates from the average of all possible samples. An estimate of 100 with a sampling error of 1 would mean that chances are 19 out of 20 that the estimates from all possible samples averaged together would be between 98 and 102; which is the survey estimate, plus or minus two times the sampling error. The sampling error expressed as a percent of the estimate is called the relative sampling error. The relative sampling error for number of hired workers at the U.S. level is normally less than 5 percent. The relative sampling error for the number of hired workers generally ranged between 8 and 20 percent at the regional level. The U.S. all hired farm worker wage rate had a relative sampling error of 0.9 percent. The relative sampling error was 1.0 percent for the combined field and livestock worker wage rate. Relative sampling errors for the all hired farm worker wage rate generally ranged between 2 and 5 percent at the regional levels. Relative sampling errors for wage rates published by type of farm and economic class of farm generally ranged between 2 and 19 percent at the regional level. Non-sampling errors can occur in a complete census as well as in sample surveys. They are caused by the inability to obtain correct information from each operation sampled, differences in interpreting questions or definitions, and mistakes in editing, coding or processing the data. Special efforts are taken at each step of the survey to minimize non-sampling errors. Revision Policy: Farm labor information is subject to revision the next time the information is published or the year after the original publication date. The basis for revision must be supported by additional data that directly affect the level of the estimate. Worker numbers and wage rates for October 2008 and January 2008 were subject to revision with this report. If any revisions were made to previous data, they are reprinted in this report for your information, and they are identified as such. Index Page U.S. Hired Workers on Farms, Wage Rates and Hours Worked..................................3 Number of Workers and Average Hours Worked by Region and U.S. January 2009......................................................................4 October 2008......................................................................6 January 2008......................................................................8 Wage Rates by Region and U.S. January 2009......................................................................5 October 2008......................................................................7 January 2008......................................................................9 Agricultural Services: Workers, Average Hours Worked, and Wages January 2009.....................................................................13 October 2008.....................................................................13 January 2008.....................................................................13 Other Labor Estimates U.S. Distribution of Workers.....................................................12 Wage Rates by Type of Farm, by Region, State, 48 States..........................10 Wage Rates by Economic Class of Farm, by Region, State, 48 States................11 Farm Labor Region Map....................................................................14 Farm Labor Definitions...................................................................15 Reliability of Farm Labor Estimates......................................................17 Revision Policy..........................................................................17 ACCESS TO REPORTS!! 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