Rural America

California: Housing, Water
The Ranch Fire that burned over 410,000 acres in July 2019 was started by Glenn Kile, a former heavy equipment operator with a 160-acre ranch who set

Regional America
The US has 3,142 countries, and 44 percent of US counties lost residents in the year ended June 30, 2018; some 298 counties had rising populations

Labor, H-1B
The US unemployment rate fell to a 50-year low in April 2019, 3.6 percent, marking 103 months of job gains. Average hourly earnings rose at a three

Farm Workers

California: Shortages, Housing
Farmers continue to complain of labor shortages. Dan Sutton of the Pismo Oceano Vegetable Exchange testified in May 2019 that "labor is one of the

Florida, Southeast
Fancy Farms in Hillsborough county used All Nation Staffing in 2013 to recruit 54 H-2A workers in Honduras. All Nation unlawfully?charged the

Midwest, Northeast, Northwest
Minnesota. Farmers support a bill in the state legislature to allow unauthorized foreigners to get driver's licenses. Dairy farmer Tom Sedgeman from

UFW, Unions
The UFW began a campaign in June 2019 to alert workers about their right to shade. Marichel Mejia of the UFW said that "Farmworkers are just like

Immigration

Central Americans, Politics
Over 144,000 migrants were apprehended just inside the Mexico-US border in May 2019, including 58,000 Central American parents with children and

DHS: CBP, ICE, USCIS
DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned in April 2019. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan became acting DHS secretary; he

H-2A; H-2B
The House Appropriations Committee in June 2019 approved an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security funding bill that would allow farm

Canada, Mexico
Canada. Canada added 321,000 immigrants in 2018, the most since 1913, when 401,000 were admitted. Canada's population rose by 528,000 in

Europe, Asia
The EU continues to struggle with migrants who reach Greece, Italy and Spain by boat and apply for asylum. The European Commission in summer 2016

Population, Golden Visas
The UN released new population projections in June 2019 that project the world's population rising from 7.7 billion in 2019 to 9.7 billion in 2050,

Other

COA: Hired Farm Labor
Expenses. The Census of Agriculture collected data from farm employers on their hired farm labor in 2017. Section 30 of the questionnaire included

Trade, Roundup, Cannabis
Midwestern states received heavy rains in April and May, delaying the planting of corn and soybeans. However, USDA reported in June 2019 that

Wine, Food
Vinexpo reported that there were 7.6 million hectares of vineyards worldwide in 2017, including a million hectares of vineyards in Spain, 800,000

Climate
Europe had a heat wave in June 2019. Temperatures in France reached 45C and 40C in Germany; India and Pakistan also had record heat in May-June