Timothy Beatty, Alexandra Hill, Philip Martin, and Zachariah Rutledge

from ARE Update Vol. 23, No. 5, May/Jun, 2020 Special Issue: Implications of the Coronavirus Pandemic on California Food, Agriculture, and the Environment

View Article PDF: COVID-19 and Farm Workers: Challenges Facing California Agriculture

Abstract

When stay-at-home orders were issued in March 2020 to slow the spread of COVID-19, farm workers were deemed essential and expected to continue working. As California’s farm employment climbs toward its June peak, sick farm workers, closed schools, and uncertainties surrounding the H-2A guest worker program could reduce the supply of farm workers, accelerating trends already underway such as mechanization.

Keywords

COVID-19, Farm Labor Supply, Immigration, Wages

Citation

Timothy Beatty, Alexandra Hill, Philip Martin, and Zachariah Rutledge. 2020. "COVID-19 and Farm Workers: Challenges Facing California Agriculture." ARE Update 23(5): 2-4. University of California Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics.
https://giannini.ucop.edu/filer/file/1590685176/19655/