Wisconsin Ag Connection - Fewer Hired Workers on Area Farms This Year

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Fewer Hired Workers on Area Farms This Year
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 05/20/2008

The 'Lake Region' of the country employed 52,000 agricultural workers during the week of April 6-12, down seven percent from last year. According to the USDA, Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota hired their workers for an average of 39 hours per week during the survey period. The average wage rate for all hired agricultural workers in the three states was $11.25 per hour, up 17 cents from the April 2007. An employee is classified as a livestock worker if they tend livestock, milk cows, care for poultry, or operate machinery on livestock farms.

Livestock workers in the region earned an average of $10.78 per hour during the reference week. If an employee is engaged in planting, tending, and harvesting crops, including operating machinery on crop farms, they are considered a field worker. Field workers in the Lake Region averaged $10.57 per hour during the April reference week.

Meanwhile, there were 919,000 people hired on U.S. farms and ranches the week of April 6-12. Of these workers, 700,000 were hired directly by farm operators. The remaining 219,000 people were hired for agricultural services. Some examples of agricultural service workers would be veterinarians, milk testers, and artificial insemination technicians. The average number of hours worked for all hired workers was 41.0. Farm operators paid their hired workers an average wage of $10.60 per hour, up 40 cents from a year ago. Field workers earned an average of $9.65 per hour, while livestock workers averaged $10.32 per hour.

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