San Joaquin Valley, California
The 19-county Central Valley has a growing population despite lagging economic growth, according to a study released by the Great Valley Center in

California: Raisins, Parlier
Harvesting 125,000 to 150,000 acres of raisin grapes around Fresno, California has traditionally been considered the most labor-intensive activity in

Rural America
The US has 3,141 counties, and they are divided into three groups based on population density and links to urban areas. Metropolitan Statistical

Mexicans Spreading Out
As Mexican migrants spread throughout the US, filling jobs in farm-related industries, construction and services, they form networks linking rural America to rural Mexico.

ALRB, EEOC, Health/WC
ALRB. Mandatory mediation, the 2002 amendment to the 1975 Agricultural Labor Relations Act that allows a certified union or employer to request

UFW, US Unions
There were marches throughout the US on March 31, 2005 to celebrate the birthday of Cesar Chavez, who died April 23, 1993. Amid the celebrations,

Midwest, Northeast
Some 5,000 migrant workers arrive in Wisconsin from South Texas every summer, including two-thirds who work in food processing. Interviews with the

Florida, Southeast, Southwest
Tomatoes. Florida and Mexico produce most US fresh tomatoes in the winter months, and many of the Florida tomatoes are from the Immokalee area.

MSFW Services, NAWS
President Bush's FY06 budget once again proposes eliminating the $76 million migrant and seasonal farm worker training program (National Farmworker

Unauthorized, Border, AgJOBS
Demographer Jeff Passel estimated that there were 10.3 million unauthorized foreigners in the US in March 2004, up from 8.4 million in 2000,

H-2A, H-2B, SSNs
The H-2A (agriculture) and H-2B (nonfarm) programs are the major doors through which legal unskilled guest workers can enter the US to fill seasonal

Canada, Mexico
The Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program allows the importation of about 18,000 seasonal farm workers from the Caribbean and Mexico each

Europe: UK
The UK has a series of schemes or programs that permit the entry of foreign workers; their goal is to fill unfilled jobs and to reduce illegal

California and US: Farm Sales, Trade
California's crop sales were a record $18.1 billon in 2004, up from $16.9 billion in 2003. They included $9.1 billion of fruits and nuts, $5.9

Obesity, Bird Flu, Fish
Obesity. In an effort to head off "Mclawsuits," fast food chains such as IHOP have begun offering brochures that spell out the calorie and fat

Land Reform
Brazil. Brazil is one of the last countries with a frontier, the 4,000-mile wide and two-million-square-mile Amazon rainforest that boasts the

Water and Wine
Water. In February 2005, the US Supreme Court heard arguments in a case in which California farmers are demanding compensation from the government

DOL Releases 2001-02 NAWS
The ninth NAWS report on the characteristics and earnings of hired workers on US crop farms (seasonal agricultural services) was released in April

California Farm Labor Costs
A study from the California Institute for the Study of Specialty Crops reported that, in 2002 when farm sales were $26 billion, the Census of

California Ag History
Modern California agriculture began in 1769 when Spanish missionaries began to produce food around the missions they established, and expanded