PALISADE, Colo. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced awards of $50 million will be given to agricultural operations throughout the U.S. to address agriculture labor challenges through the Farm Labor Stabilization and Protection pilot program.
The awards include $200,000 for an Iowa farm, $1.9 million for six Minnesota operations, $100,000 for a Montana farm, $820,000 for two North Dakota operations, and $200,000 for a South Dakota ranch.
“These awards will largely support small and mid-sized farms to ensure they can hire and retain the workers they need to be competitive in the market, while also lifting up rural communities across the country,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who announced the awards on June 14. “Farmworkers make an incredibly important contribution to food and agriculture and ensure we have food on our tables every day. Improving working conditions and quality of life for farmworkers, both U.S. based workers and those that come to our country to work, is one key step in building a stronger, more resilient food supply chain.”
USDA announced the FLSP Program in September 2023, in coordination with other federal agencies, to help address workforce needs in agriculture; promote a safe and healthy work environment, as well as ethical recruitment for farmworkers; and support lawful migration pathways for workers, including expansion of labor pathways for workers from northern Central America, through the H-2A visa program. FLSP was designed with input from immigration, labor and agricultural stakeholders — informed by the experiences of farmworkers and farmers themselves.
Here’s a look at the awards in the region:
Greg Smith Farms, in Lawton, Iowa, plans to use the $200,000 it will receive from FLSP to implement new bonus and loyalty bonuses, create a paid sick leave policy and establish an employee working group to ensure ideas are heard from throughout the operation. Additionally, the FLSP will help bolster their recruitment strategy to employ an additional 10 farmworkers. An online job posting for the operation describes it as a cattle and grain farm with 600 cow/calf pairs that are raised in a pasture setting and a 2,500-cattle feedlot that finishes cattle for market, along with 1,500 acres of corn harvested mostly for feed.
Bolton Bees LLC
, a family-owned beekeeping business with bees throughout Minnesota, plan to use their $200,000 FLSP award to increase U.S. labor recruitment efforts and when necessary, supplement any additional labor needs via the H-2A program; to increase farmworker wellbeing via additional worker benefits including participation in FLSP research/reporting, KYRR access and training, paid bonuses and paid sick leave; and to increase work conditions via improved work housing conditions. Bolton Bees is known for weather-hardy bees and location-specific honey.Fitzgerald Organics LLC specializes in the production of organic row crops in McLeod County, Minnesota, along with offering coaching and consulting for new organic operations. McLeod County has only .4 workers available for every job vacancy and by 2030, expects to have 1,300 open positions in the agriculture sector due to inability to find local U.S. based workers. Fitzgerald Organics LLC intends to use their $200,000 FLSP award to supplement their ability to hire and retain workers due to a lack of labor supply recruitment found domestically via the H-2A program in North Central America and South Africa. The operation also wants to take additional steps to improve the wellbeing of their workers.Featherstone Fruits and Vegetables, LLC (doing business as
Featherstone Farm
), in Rushford, Minnesota, plan to expand their operations and improve the well-being and work conditions of their employees with a $400,000 FLSP award. In partnership with the Fair Food Project, they are implementing a formal working group that meets on a regular basis to help identify issues that affect employee health, safety, and other concerns. The FLSP award will help supplement their ability to hire and retain workers due to a lack of U.S. based labor supply via the H-2A program. Featherstone Farm will be able to grow their operation with an additional 44 new farmworkers. The operation also plans to use the FLSP to improve worker conditions.
Olsen Custom Farms
, based in Hendricks, Minnesota, is a custom farming operation providing crop harvesting services for farmland owners across the United States. OCF plans to use their $600,000 FLSP award to impact their 130 new farm worker hires through supplemental employee commitments including bonus payments, a weekly housing maintenance plan, and establishing a Collaborative Working Group that will serve as a platform for employees to lead discussions about workplace conditions and practices. Spring Valley Farms LLP in Morris, Minnesota, plans to use a $400,000 FLSP award to strengthen their organization and those within it through the assistance of the FLSP activities. The organization says FLSP will ease the financial impact of continued organizational improvement by helping to offset the increasing labor costs due to labor shortages, increased costs of fuel and transportation, and the continued improvement of work and housing environments. Spring Valley Farms works in crop and livestock production, transportation and land management.Twin Organics, an organic produce farm outside of Northfield, Minnesota, aims to use their $100,000 FLSP award to implement a Collaborative Working Group consisting of farmworkers and employers to create a Housing Maintenance Plan that will ensure the following: high-quality housing conditions throughout the season, increased paid sick leave, bilingual language access, and a commitment to Neutrality, Access, and Voluntary Recognition of employee union efforts. The farm believes the measures will improve their workforce in peak farming season and stabilize operations.Vilicus Farms, an organic, dryland farm near Havre, Montana, plans to use a $100,000 FLSP award to stabilize labor and support further improvement in working conditions for all employees by creating a bonus payment program, expanding sick leave benefits to hourly employees, establishing a worker housing maintenance plan, and chartering an employee working group. These activities, along with other existing practices and policies will be compiled into an employee handbook.
Black Gold Farms
, a Grand Forks, North Dakota-based potato farm in the northern Red River Valley, plans to use a $720,000 FLSP award to attain hundreds of new workers and provide them with additional training on safety and position specific skills that will increase their knowledge and experience and create a positive work environment for all employees. The farms also plan to use FLSP funding to provide housing and transportation that better meets the needs of its employees and to ensure employees receive superior safety training and that any personal medical needs are tended to properly. Chad Allen Lawler, of Border View Elk Ranch in Hansboro, North Dakota, plans to use a $100,000 FLSP award to use targeted strategies to meet current and future demand for workers, including providing a safe and healthy work environment, housing and access to care and communication.
Eagle Pass Ranch
, in Highmore, South Dakota, plans to use a $200,000 FLSP award to bolster recruitment and retention of farmworkers via the H-2A program through a structured weekly housing maintenance plan, bonus payments, paid sick leave, and rigorous safety and employee rights training, along with adopting a new employment policy establishing its commitment to neutrality, access, and voluntary recognition of guest workers’ right to organize.
The complete list of awardees can be found at
https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/flsp/awards.
