Adjusting to Higher Labor Costs in Selected U.S. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Industries

This report examines how U.S. producers of major labor-intensive fresh fruit and vegetables are ad-dressing the rising costs of labor. Farm labor costs are increasing for several reasons, including fewer newly arrived unauthorized workers, rising State minimum wages, and new requirements to pay overtime wages to some farm workers. Short-term options to meet the labor needs on farms include management changes, such as picking fields and orchards less often and introducing mechanical aids that increase worker productivity. Long-term options include the use of more labor-saving mechanization, additional H-2A guest workers, and a reduction of overall domestic production. This report provides an analysis of the ways in which producers are using different tools to address higher labor costs. A related report Supplement to Adjusting to Higher Labor Costs in Selected U.S. Fruit and Vegetable Industries: Case Studies, analyzes adjustment options for four major fruit and three major vegetable and melon commodities.