Rural California: Welfare and Jobs
There has been a remarkable drop in the number of adults receiving cash welfare assistance in the San Joaquin Valley. In Fresno county, which

Immigration: Meat and Poultry
In November 1999 profiled Georgetown, Delaware and its poultry industry. The Delmarva peninsula—southern Delaware and the eastern shores of

Central Valley Economy
California Governor Gray Davis held his first Central Valley economic summit in Fresno on November 30, 1999. Davis noted that if the eight-county

California: Pesticides, Transportation, Wages
California produced about 44 percent of the FVH commodities in 1997--fruits, nuts and berries, vegetables and melons, and horticultural specialties

UFW: Huerta, Contracts
President Clinton presented Dolores Huerta with the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights in December 1999. Clinton praised Huerta for "all she

Florida: H-2A, Citrus, Tomatoes
Flooding from Fall 1999 hurricanes slowed vegetable planting in southeast Florida, leaving farm workers who normally would be going back to work

State Briefs
Washington has several short harvests that require many hand pickers, including cherries, a $150-million crop that employs 15,000 to 17,000 workers

Labor Law: Change MSPA?
In October 1999, the Workforce Protections Subcommittee of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing on a bill, H.R. 1886,

California: Housing
USDA is providing $32 million in Rural Development grants nationwide to build 622 housing units for farm workers and to repair 13 housing complexes

Guest Workers
On October 27, 1999, Senators Bob Graham (D-FL), Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Larry Craig (R-ID) introduced a bill sought by growers—S1814, the

Bracero Questions Linger
Some 4.6 million Bracero contracts were issued to one to two million Mexicans between 1942 and 1964. Some individuals returned year after year,

Farm Sales, Farmers
US farm sales were $190 billion in 1999, including $96 billion from the sale of crops ($102 billion in 1998) and $95 billion from the sale of

Latin America
World banana prices are depressed, primarily because of increased production in Ecuador, the world's largest banana exporter. For this reason,

South Africa: Farm Workers
An estimated 72 percent of South Africa's farm workers earn less than the poverty-line wage of R650 a month, according to testimony by the South

Australia/New Zealand
Australia, a country of 19 million, had seven million residents in 1946—immigration of up to 150,000 a year is largely responsible for

Dynamics of Hired Farm Labor
The USDA and Penn State University held a multidisciplinary conference October 25-26, 1999 to examine: (1) the dynamics of U.S. hired farm labor

INS Statistical Yearbook: 1997
The INS released the statistical yearbook covering FY97 in December 1999; the yearbook covering FY96 was released in October