May 22, 2007

**FLORIDA**

The number of workers paid by farmers and agricultural services totaled
63,000 for the week of April 8 through 14. Farmers hired 55,000 in April
2007 compared with 44,000 in October 2006 and 52,000 in April 2006.
Agricultural services provided 8,000 paid workers, equal to the number
supplied in April 2006, but up 3,000 from the October 2006 number.

Early in the survey week, frost nipped some northern vegetables; strong
winds at the end of the week damaged leaves of some taller vegetables
while wind-borne sand bruised some fruit. Potato digging was underway in
the Palatka area and okra cutting started in Miami-Dade County. Other
non-citrus fruits and vegetables harvested during the week included snap
beans, blueberries, cabbage, celery, sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplant,
endive, escarole, lettuce, parsley, peppers, radishes, squash,
strawberries, tomatoes and watermelons. Vegetable harvests neared peak
levels for the season during April. Citrus harvest remained active
during the survey week. Citrus grove caretakers hedged and topped trees,
applied post bloom nutritional sprays, scouted for greening of trees and
removed diseased trees.

The April combined Farmers and Agricultural Services all hired worker
wage rate averaged \$10.07 per hour, 60 cents more than the \$9.47 paid
in October 2006 and 83 cents more than last year's wage of \$9.24 per
hour. Farmers paid an average of \$10.01 per hour, 59 cents higher than
the \$9.42 paid in October 2006, and 82 cents above the \$9.19 paid in
April 2006. Agricultural Services paid workers an average of \$10.45 per
hour, 55 cents more than the \$9.90 paid in October 2006 and 85 cents
more than the \$9.60 paid in April 2006.

**UNITED STATES**

Hired Workers Unchanged, Wage Rates Up 4 Percent From one Year Ago

There were 961,000 hired workers on the Nation's farms and ranches
during the week of April 8-14, 2007, unchanged from a year ago. A large
increase in California was enough to offset the large declines in hired
workers in most other regions, resulting in a net change of zero from
last April. Of these hired workers, 720,000 workers were hired directly
by farm operators. Agricultural service employees on farms and ranches
made up the remaining 241,000 workers.

Farm operators paid their hired workers an average wage of \$10.17 per
hour during the April 2007 reference week, up 39 cents from a year
earlier. Field workers received an average of \$9.35 per hour, up 40
cents from last April, while livestock workers earned \$9.55 per hour
compared with \$9.31 a year earlier. The field and livestock worker
combined wage rate, at \$9.41 per hour, was up 35 cents from last year.
The number of hours worked averaged 40.6 hours for hired workers during
the survey week, down fractionally from a year ago.

The largest increases in the number of hired farm workers from last year
occurred in California, Florida, and in the Northeast II (Delaware,
Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) and Mountain I (Idaho, Montana,
and Wyoming) regions. In California, last year\'s reference week was
plagued by rainfall and unseasonably cool temperatures, which delayed
most field work. This year, a return to more normal weather patterns
allowed cotton and rice planting to progress well ahead of average,
increasing the demand for field workers. Cold, wet conditions in the
Northeast II region slowed most outdoor field activities. However,
continued strong demand from nurseries, greenhouses, and dairies was
more than enough to offset the reduced need for workers in most other
agricultural sectors. In the Mountain I region, dry, seasonable weather
in Idaho offset below normal temperatures and damp conditions in the
rest of the region, resulting in a collectively higher demand for hired
workers. Florida experienced abnormally dry conditions last April. This
year, soil moisture levels have increased, allowing more field work to
be accomplished and causing more hired workers to be needed.

The largest decreases in the number of hired farm workers from a year
ago were in the Appalachian I (North Carolina and Virginia), Appalachian
II (Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia), Corn Belt II (Iowa and
Missouri), Southern Plains (Oklahoma and Texas), and Northeast I (New
England and New York) regions. In the Appalachian I and II regions, hard
freezes early in the reference week, along with heavy rains later in the
week, severely curtailed most field activities. Therefore, the demand
for hired workers in both regions was

Continued on Page 4

+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| **[                |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| Table]{.smallcaps} |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| 1 \-- Florida      |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| agricultural       |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| workers, number of |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| workers, wage**    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| **rates, and hours |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| worked, April 8    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| through 14, 2007,  |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| with comparisons** |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| Employer, Year,    | H    |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| and                | ired |      |      |      |     |    |       |
|                    | Wor  |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| Survey Week        | kers |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
|                    | Nu   |      |      | H    | Wa  |    |       |
|                    | mber |      |      | ours | ges |    |       |
|                    | of   |      |      |      | P   |    |       |
|                    | Wor  |      |      | Wo   | aid |    |       |
|                    | kers |      |      | rked | by  |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | T   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      | Per  | ype |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | of  |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      | Week | W   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | ork |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
|                    | All  | Expe |      |      | All | F  | Live  |
|                    |      | cted |      |      |     | ie | stock |
|                    |      | to   |      |      |     | ld |       |
|                    |      | work |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
|                    |      | 150  | 149  |      |     |    |       |
|                    |      | days | days |      |     |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
|                    |      | or   | or   |      |     |    |       |
|                    |      | more | less |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| [Hired by          | *Th  |      |      | *Ho  | *D  |    |       |
| Fa                 | ousa |      |      | urs* | oll |    |       |
| rmers]{.smallcaps} | nds* |      |      |      | ars |    |       |
| *^1/^*             |      |      |      |      | Per |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | H   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | our |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | ^2  |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | /^* |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| **2007**           |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > **April 8 - 14** | 55.0 | 46.0 | 9.0  | 39.2 | 10  | 9. | 9.00  |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .01 | 20 |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > January 7 -- 13  |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| > *^3/^*           |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| 2006               |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > October 8 - 14   | 44.0 | 40.0 | 4.0  | 41.1 | 9   | 8. | 9.10  |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .42 | 50 |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > July 9 - 15      | 43.0 | 38.0 | 5.0  | 41.0 | 9   | 8. | 9.10  |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .40 | 39 |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > **April 9 - 15** | 52.0 | 44.0 | 8.0  | 40.4 | 9   | 8. | 8.50  |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .19 | 37 |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > January 8 -- 14  | 49.0 | 38.0 | 11.0 | 39.2 | 9   | 8. | 8.80  |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .55 | 80 |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| 2005               |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > October 9 - 15   | 42.0 | 37.0 | 5.0  | 39.4 | 9   | 8. | 8.45  |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .33 | 60 |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > July 10 - 16     | 41.0 | 39.0 | 2.0  | 41.3 | 9   | 8. | 9.15  |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .70 | 75 |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > April 10 - 16    | 49.0 | 41.0 | 8.0  | 38.7 | 9   | 8. | 9.90  |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .31 | 20 |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > January 9 - 15   | 48.0 | 37.0 | 11.0 | 38.7 | 9   | 8. | 8.60  |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .52 | 50 |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
|                    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| [Hired             |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| by]{.smallcaps}    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| [Agricultural      |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| Ser                |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| vices]{.smallcaps} |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| **2007**           |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > **April 8 - 14** | 8.0  |      |      | 40.0 | 10  |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .45 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > January 7 -- 13  |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| > *^3/^*           |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| 2006               |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > October 8- 14    | 5.0  |      |      | 42.0 | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .90 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > July 9 -- 15     | 3.0  |      |      | 45.0 | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .50 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > **April 9 --     | 8.0  |      |      | 40.0 | 9   |    |       |
| > 15**             |      |      |      |      | .60 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > January 8 -- 14  | 9.0  |      |      | 40.0 | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .20 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| 2005               |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > October 9 -- 15  | 3.0  |      |      | 41.0 | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .65 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > July 10 -16      | 2.0  |      |      | 45.0 | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .90 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > April 10 -- 16   | 10.0 |      |      | 39.0 | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .10 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > January 9 -- 15  | 8.0  |      |      | 40.0 | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .50 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
|                    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| [Hired by Both     |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| Farmers            |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| &]{.smallcaps}     |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| [Agricultural      |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| Ser                |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| vices]{.smallcaps} |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| **2007**           |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > **April 8 --     | 63.0 |      |      |      | 10  |    |       |
| > 14**             |      |      |      |      | .07 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > January 7 -- 13  |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| > *^3/^*           |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| 2006               |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > October 8 -- 14  | 49.0 |      |      |      | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .47 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > July 9 -- 15     | 46.0 |      |      |      | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .41 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > **April 9 --     | 60.0 |      |      |      | 9   |    |       |
| > 15**             |      |      |      |      | .24 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > January 8 -- 14  | 58.0 |      |      |      | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .49 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| 2005               |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > October 9 -- 15  | 45.0 |      |      |      | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .35 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > July 10 -16      | 43.0 |      |      |      | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .71 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > April 10 -- 16   | 59.0 |      |      |      | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .27 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > January 9 -- 15  | 56.0 |      |      |      | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .52 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
|                    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| ^1/^ Excludes      |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| Agricultural       |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| Services workers.  |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| ^2/^ Benefits,     |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| such as housing    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| and meals, are     |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| provided some      |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| workers but the    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| values are not     |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| included in the    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| wage rates.        |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| *^3/^* The January |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| Farm Labor Survey  |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| was not            |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| conducted*^.^*     |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+

+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| **[Ta            |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| ble]{.smallcaps} |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| 2 \-- Number of  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| workers hired by |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| farmers, wage    |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| rates, and hours |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| worked,**        |      |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| **Selected       |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| States, April 8  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| through 14,      |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| 2007, with       |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| co               |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| mparisons ^1/^** |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
|                  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| Item             | Flo  | Ca   | Texas | Arizona | H     | United |
|                  | rida | lifo | &     | &       | awaii |        |
|                  |      | rnia |       |         |       | State  |
|                  |      |      | Okl   | New     |       | s ^2/^ |
|                  |      |      | ahoma | Mexico  |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
|                  | *Th  |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  | ousa |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  | nds* |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| [All hired       |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| work             |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| ers]{.smallcaps} |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **April 8-14,  | 55   | 160  | 50    | 17      | 7     | 720    |
| > 2007**         |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > January 7-13,  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| > 2007 *^3/^*    |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > April 9-15,    | 52   | 137  | 55    | 17      | 7     | 720    |
| > 2006           |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
|                  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| [Expected to     |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| w                |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| ork]{.smallcaps} |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > 150 days or    |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| > more           |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **April 8-14,  | 46   | 135  | 38    | 16      | 6     | 580    |
| > 2007**         |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > January 7-13,  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| > 2007 *^3/^*    |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > April 9-15,    | 44   | 116  | 42    | 16      | 6     | 581    |
| > 2006           |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > 149 days or    |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| > less           |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **April 8-14,  | 9    | 25   | 12    | 1       | 1     | 140    |
| > 2007**         |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > January 7-13,  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| > 2007 *^3/^*    |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > April 9-15,    | 8    | 21   | 13    | 1       | 1     | 139    |
| > 2006           |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
|                  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| *Average hours   |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| per week*        |      |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| *Average hours   |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| per week*        |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| [Hours worked b  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| y all hired work |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| ers]{.smallcaps} |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **April 8-14,  | 39.2 | 45.5 | 37.9  | 44.5    | 39.2  | 40.6   |
| > 2007**         |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > January 7-13,  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| > 2007 *^3/^*    |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > April 9-15,    | 40.4 | 43.0 | 39.2  | 48.7    | 36.6  | 40.8   |
| > 2006           |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
|                  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| *Dollars per     |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| hour ^4/^*       |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| [Wages by type   |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| of               |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| wor              |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| ker]{.smallcaps} |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > Field          |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **April 8-14,  | 9.20 | 9.62 | 8.35  | 8.25    | 10.60 | 9.35   |
| > 2007**         |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > January 7-13,  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| > 2007 *^3/^*    |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > April 9-15,    | 8.37 | 8.93 | 8.24  | 8.14    | 9.79  | 8.95   |
| > 2006           |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > Livestock      |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **April 8-14,  | 9.00 | 1    | 9.41  | 8.88    | ^5/^  | 9.55   |
| > 2007**         |      | 0.90 |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > January 7-13,  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| > 2007 *^3/^*    |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > April 9-15,    | 8.50 | 1    | 9.06  | 9.13    | ^5/^  | 9.31   |
| > 2006           |      | 0.80 |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > Field &        |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| > Livestock      |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| > Combined       |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **April 8-14,  | 9.17 | 9.80 | 8.80  | 8.51    | 10.77 | 9.41   |
| > 2007**         |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > January 7-13,  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| > 2007 *^3/^*    |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > April 9-15,    | 8.39 | 9.21 | 8.64  | 8.60    | 9.93  | 9.06   |
| > 2006           |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
|                  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| [All hired       |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| worker wage      |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| r                |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| ate]{.smallcaps} |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **April 8-14,  | 1    | 1    | 9.22  | 9.28    | 12.85 | 10.17  |
| > 2007**         | 0.01 | 0.63 |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > January 7-13,  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| > 2007 *^3/^*    |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > April 9-15,    | 9.19 | 1    | 9.37  | 9.17    | 11.96 | 9.78   |
| > 2006           |      | 0.18 |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| ^1/^ Excludes    |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| Agricultural     |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| Service workers. |      |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| ^2/^ United      |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| States exclude   |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| Alaska.          |      |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| ^*3*/^ The       |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| January Farm     |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| Labor was not    |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| conducted*^.^*   |      |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| ^4/^ Benefits,   |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| such as housing  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| and meals, are   |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| provided some    |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| workers but the  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| values are not   |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| included in the  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| wage rates.      |      |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| ^5/^             |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| Insufficient     |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| data for         |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| livestock.       |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+

> Continued from page 1
>
> considerably lower. Frigid temperatures, torrential rains, and snow
> from two strong winter storms caused major field work delays in the
> Corn Belt II, Southern Plains, and Northeast I regions. Field worker
> demand was down in all three regions due to these undesirable
> conditions.
>
> Hired farm worker wage rates were generally above a year ago in most
> regions. The largest increases occurred in the Appalachian II,
> Mountain II (Colorado, Nevada, and Utah), Delta (Arkansas, Louisiana,
> and Mississippi), and Northern Plains (Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota,
> and South Dakota) regions, and Florida. In the Appalachian II and
> Mountain II regions, the higher wages were due to a larger proportion
> of salaried workers putting in fewer hours, which pushed the average
> hourly wage higher. The higher wages in the Delta region were due to a
> greater percentage of nursery and greenhouse workers in the work
> force. In the Northern Plains region, the higher wages were due to a
> lower proportion of part time workers. The higher wages in Florida
> were due to a larger percentage of fresh market vegetable pickers in
> the work force. Tomatoes and other fresh market vegetables require
> extra care and skill during harvest to minimize crop damage.
> Therefore, these workers receive higher wages.
>
> **Reliability of Farm Labor Estimates**
>
> **[Survey Procedures]{.smallcaps}**: These data were collected by the
> National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) during the last two
> weeks of April using sampling procedures to ensure every employer of
> agricultural workers had a chance of being selected.
>
> Two samples of farm operators are selected. First, NASS maintains a
> list of farms that hire farm workers. Farms on this list are
> classified by size and type. Those expected to employ large numbers of
> workers are selected with greater frequency than those hiring few or
> no workers. A second sample consists of segments of land
> scientifically selected from an area sampling frame. Each June, highly
> trained interviewers locate each selected land segment and identify
> every farm operating land within the sample segment\'s boundaries. The
> names of farms found in these area segments are matched against the
> NASS list of farms; those not found on the list are included in the
> labor survey sample to represent all farms. This methodology is known
> as multiple frame sampling, with an area sample used to measure the
> incompleteness of the list. Additionally, a list of agricultural
> service firms was sampled in California and Florida. The survey
> reference week was April 8-14, 2007.
>
> **[Reliability]{.smallcaps}**: Two types of errors, sampling and
> non-sampling, are always present in an estimate based on a sample
> survey. Both types affect the \"accuracy\" of the estimates.
>
> Sampling error occurs because a complete census is not taken. The
> sampling error measures the variation in estimates from the average of
> all possible samples. An estimate of 100 with a sampling error of 1
> would mean that chances are 19 out of 20 that the estimates from all
> possible samples averaged together would be between 98 and 102; which
> is the survey estimate, plus or minus two times the sampling error.
> The sampling error expressed as a percent of the estimate is called
> the relative sampling error. The relative sampling error for number of
> hired workers at the U.S. level is normally less than 5 percent. The
> relative sampling error for the number of hired workers generally
> ranged between 12 and 17 percent at the regional level. The U.S. all
> hired farm worker wage rate had a relative sampling error of 0.8
> percent. The relative sampling error was 0.6 percent for the combined
> field and livestock worker wage rate. Relative sampling errors for the
> all hired farm worker wage rate generally ranged between 1 and 5
> percent at the regional levels. Relative sampling errors for wage
> rates published by type of farm and economic class of farm generally
> ranged between 2 and 16 percent at the regional level.
>
> Non-sampling errors can occur in a complete census as well as in
> sample surveys. They are caused by the inability to obtain correct
> information from each operation sampled, differences in interpreting
> questions or definitions, and mistakes in editing, coding or
> processing the data. Special efforts are taken at each step of the
> survey to minimize non-sampling errors.
>
> **[Revision Policy]{.smallcaps}**: Farm labor information is subject
> to revision the next time the information is published or the year
> after the original publication date. The basis for revision must be
> supported by additional data that directly affect the level of the
> estimate. Worker numbers and wage rates for April 2006 were subject to
> revision with this report. If any revisions were made to previous
> data, they are reprinted in this report for your information, and they
> are identified as such.