![](media/image1.png){width="1.28125in" height="10.229166666666666in"}

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="7.764583333333333in"
height="0.23958333333333334in"}

**FLORIDA**

**Farm Labor**

**November 13, 2023**

**FLORIDA**

The number of workers paid by farmers and agricultural services totaled
58,000 for the week of January 8 through 14. Farmers hired 49,000 in
January 2006 compared with 42,000 in October 2005. Agricultural services
provided 9,000 paid workers, up 6,000 from last quarter and 1,000 more
than those supplied a year ago.

Despite frosty temperatures in some central Peninsula areas, field
activities remained on schedule during the survey week. Citrus growers
continued to irrigate in drier areas, fertilizing, applying herbicides
and repairing broken irrigation systems. Small sizes and shortage of
labor had an effect on the number of boxes picked. Recent cool
temperatures slowed vegetable crop development. Producers marketed snap
beans, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, endive, escarole, lettuce,
peppers, radishes, squash, strawberries and tomatoes. Sugarcane
harvesting remained active around Lake Okeechobee.

The January all hired worker average wage rate was \$9.49 per hour, 3
cents less than the \$9.52 paid last year and 14 cents more than last
quarter. Farmers paid an average of \$9.55 per hour, 22 cents higher
than the \$9.33 paid in October 2005 and 3 cents above the \$9.52 paid
in January 2005. Agricultural services paid workers an average of \$9.20
per hour, 45 cents lower than the \$9.65 paid last quarter and 30 cents
below the \$9.50 paid a year ago.

**UNITED STATES**

There were 796,000 hired workers on the Nation's farms and ranches
during the week of January 8-14, 2006, up 3 percent from a year ago. Of
these hired workers, 616,000 workers were hired directly by farm
operators. Agricultural service employees on farms and ranches made up
the remaining 180,000 workers.

Farm operators paid their hired workers an average wage of \$10.11 per
hour during the January 2006 reference week, up 33 cents from a year
earlier. Field workers received an average of \$9.15 per hour, up 44
cents from last January, while livestock workers earned \$9.25 per hour
compared with \$9.20 a year earlier. The field and livestock worker
combined wage rate, at \$9.19 per hour, was up 29 cents from last year.

The number of hours worked averaged 38.2 hours for hired workers during
the survey week, up 3 percent from a year ago.

The largest increases in the number of hired farm workers from last year
occurred in the Pacific (Oregon and Washington), Corn Belt I (Illinois,
Indiana, and Ohio), Delta (Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi), and
Northeast II (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) regions.
Despite very wet weather in the Pacific region, continued expansion in
the nursery and greenhouse industries increased the demand for hired
workers. In the Corn Belt I region, warm temperatures and midweek rains
caused extremely muddy conditions in feedlots, corrals, and pastures,
stressing livestock and increasing the need for hired workers.
Unseasonably warm, dry weather in the Delta region allowed field and
farm activities to progress rapidly. Also, many producers were still
cleaning up the damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Therefore, more
hired workers were needed. In the Northeast II region, above normal
temperatures allowed some preparations for spring planting to begin,
heightening the demand for hired workers.

The largest decreases in the number of hired farm workers from a year
ago were in California and in the Southern Plains (Oklahoma and Texas),
Northern Plains (Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota), and
Appalachian II (Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia) regions. In
California, heavy rains and flooding for two weeks prior to the
reference week limited field activity in central and northern areas.
Also, tight security at the Mexican border and strong competition from
the higher paying construction industry continued to cause farm worker
shortages. Thus, fewer workers were hired during the reference week.
Extremely dry conditions in the Southern Plains region caused many
livestock producers to liquidate their herds, lessening the demand for
hired workers. In the Appalachian II and Northern Plains regions, the
unseasonably warm weather decreased the need for supplemental feeding.
Therefore, fewer livestock workers were needed.

Hired farm worker wage rates were generally above a year ago in most
regions. The largest increases occurred in the Corn Belt I, Southeast
(Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina), Northeast II and Corn Belt II
(Iowa and Missouri) regions. In the Corn Belt I and II regions, the warm
weather led to considerable movement of grain to market, heightening the
demand for highly paid truck drivers and machine operators. The higher
wages in the Southeast region were due to the increased demand for
highly skilled machine operators and truck drivers on livestock and
poultry operations and a larger percentage of nursery and greenhouse
workers in the work force. The higher wages in the Northeast II region
were due to a higher than normal percentage of nursery and greenhouse
workers.

+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| **[                |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| Table]{.smallcaps} |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| 1 \-- Florida      |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| agricultural       |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| workers, number of |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| workers, wage**    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| **rates, and hours |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| worked, January 8  |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| -- 14, 2006, 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  |    |       |
| Farm               | ousa |      |      | urs* | oll |    |       |
| ers]{.smallcaps}** | nds* |      |      |      | ars |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | Per |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | H   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | our |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | ^1  |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | /^* |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| **2006**           |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > **January 8 --   | 49.0 | 38.0 | 11.0 | 39.2 | 9   | 8. | 8.80  |
| > 14**             |      |      |      |      | .55 | 80 |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| **2005**           |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > **October 9 -    | 42.0 | 37.0 | 5.0  | 39.4 | 9   | 8. | 8.45  |
| > 15**             |      |      |      |      | .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 -    | 48.0 | 37.0 | 11.0 | 38.7 | 9   | 8. | 8.60  |
| > 15**             |      |      |      |      | .52 | 50 |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| **2004**           |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > October 9 - 15   | 52.0 | 44.0 | 8.0  | 39.4 | 9   | 7. | 9.10  |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .14 | 95 |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > July 11 - 17     | 39.0 | 33.0 | 6.0  | 39.2 | 9   | 8. | 9.10  |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .63 | 70 |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > April 11 - 17    | 57.0 | 53.0 | 4.0  | 38.3 | 8   | 7. | 8.60  |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .79 | 85 |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > January 11-17    | 61.0 | 54.0 | 7.0  | 41.7 | 8   | 7. | 8.60  |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .85 | 70 |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| **[Hired           |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| by]{.smallcaps}**  |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| **[Agricultural    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| Servi              |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| ces]{.smallcaps}** |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| **2006**           |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > **January 8 -    | 9.0  |      |      | 40.0 | 9   |    |       |
| > 14**             |      |      |      |      | .20 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| **2005**           |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > **October 9 -    | 3.0  |      |      | 41.0 | 9   |    |       |
| > 15**             |      |      |      |      | .65 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > July 10 -16      | 2.0  |      |      | 45.0 | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .90 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > April 10 - 16    | 10.0 |      |      | 39.0 | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .10 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > **January 9 -    | 8.0  |      |      | 40.0 | 9   |    |       |
| > 15**             |      |      |      |      | .50 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| **2004**           |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > October 9 - 15   | 3.0  |      |      | 40.0 | 10  |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .20 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > July 11 - 17     | 3.0  |      |      | 45.0 | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .70 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > April 11 - 17    | 9.0  |      |      | 38.0 | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .25 |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > January 11-17    | 14.0 |      |      | 38.5 | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .25 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| **[Hired by Both   |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| Farmers            |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| &]{.smallcaps}**   |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| **[Agricultural    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| Servi              |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| ces]{.smallcaps}** |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| **2006**           |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > **January 8 -    | 58.0 |      |      |      | 9   |    |       |
| > 14**             |      |      |      |      | .49 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| **2005**           |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > **October 9 -    | 45.0 |      |      |      | 9   |    |       |
| > 15**             |      |      |      |      | .35 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > July 10 -16      | 43.0 |      |      |      | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .71 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > April 10 - 16    | 59.0 |      |      |      | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .27 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > **January 9 -    | 56.0 |      |      |      | 9   |    |       |
| > 15**             |      |      |      |      | .52 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| **2004**           |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > October 10 - 16  | 55.0 |      |      |      | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .20 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > July 11 - 17     | 42.0 |      |      |      | 9   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .64 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > April 11 - 17    | 66.0 |      |      |      | 8   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .85 |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| > January 11-17    | 75.0 |      |      |      | 8   |    |       |
|                    |      |      |      |      | .92 |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+
| ^1/^ Benefits,     |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| such as housing    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| and meals, are     |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| provided some      |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| workers but the    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| values are not     |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| included in the    |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
| wage rates.        |      |      |      |      |     |    |       |
+--------------------+------+------+------+------+-----+----+-------+

+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| **[Ta            |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| ble]{.smallcaps} |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| 2 \-- Number of  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| workers hired by |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| farmers, wage    |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| rates, and hours |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| worked,**        |      |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| **Selected       |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| States, January  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| 8 -- 14, 2006,   |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| 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     |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| worker           |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| s]{.smallcaps}** |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **January 8 -- | 49   | 127  | 43    | 21      | 7     | 616    |
| > 14, 2006**     |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > October 9 --   | 42   | \    | 64    | 25      | 7     | \*842  |
| > 15, 2005       |      | *183 |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > January 9 --   | 48   | 143  | 50    | 19      | 7     | 589    |
| > 15, 2005       |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| **[Expected to   |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| wor              |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| k]{.smallcaps}** |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **150 days or  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| > more**         |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **January 8 -- | 38   | 104  | 37    | 16      | 6     | 513    |
| > 14, 2006**     |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > October 9 --   | 37   | \    | 51    | 20      | 6     | \*621  |
| > 15, 2005       |      | *146 |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > January 9 --   | 37   | 119  | 41    | 17      | 6     | 494    |
| > 15, 2005       |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **149 days or  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| > less**         |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **January 8 -- | 11   | 23   | 6     | 5       | 1     | 103    |
| > 14, 2006**     |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > October 9 --   | 5    | \*37 | 13    | 5       | 1     | \*221  |
| > 15, 2005       |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > January 9 --   | 11   | 24   | 9     | 2       | 1     | 95     |
| > 15, 2005       |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
|                  | *Dol |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  | lars |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  | per  |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  | hour |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  | ^    |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  | 3/^* |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| **[All hired     |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| worker wage      |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| rat              |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| e]{.smallcaps}** |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **January 8 -- | 9.55 | 1    | 8.89  | 9.35    | 11.95 | 10.11  |
| > 14, 2006**     |      | 0.36 |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > October 9 --   | 9.33 | \*1  | 8.38  | 8.28    | 11.73 | 9.61   |
| > 15, 2005       |      | 0.13 |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > January 9 --   | 9.52 | 9.82 | 9.56  | 8.61    | 11.52 | 9.78   |
| > 15, 2005       |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| **[Wages by type |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| of               |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| worke            |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| r]{.smallcaps}** |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **Field &      |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| > Livestock**    |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **January 8 -- | 8.80 | 9.29 | 8.17  | 8.40    | 10.27 | 9.19   |
| > 14, 2006**     |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > October 9 --   | 8.58 | \*   | 7.68  | 7.67    | 10.18 | 8.96   |
| > 15, 2005       |      | 9.37 |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > January 9 --   | 8.51 | 8.86 | 8.75  | 8.02    | 9.98  | 8.90   |
| > 15, 2005       |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **Field**      |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
|                  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **January 8 -- | 8.80 | 9.12 | 7.53  | 8.02    | 10.14 | 9.15   |
| > 14, 2006**     |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > October 9 --   | 8.60 | 9.21 | 7.60  | 7.27    | 10.10 | 8.90   |
| > 15, 2005       |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > January 9 --   | 8.50 | 8.56 | 8.01  | 7.70    | 9.94  | 8.71   |
| > 15, 2005       |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **Livestock**  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
|                  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **January 8 -- | 8.80 | 1    | 8.74  | 9.12    | ^4/^  | 9.25   |
| > 14, 2006**     |      | 0.25 |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > October 9 --   | 8.45 | \*1  | 7.84  | 8.87    | ^4/^  | \*9.15 |
| > 15, 2005       |      | 0.45 |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > January 9 --   | 8.60 | 9.93 | 9.35  | 8.41    | ^4/^  | 9.20   |
| > 15, 2005       |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
|                  | *Ave |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  | rage |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  | h    |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  | ours |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  | per  |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  | w    |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  | eek* |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| **[              |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| Hours worked by  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| all hired worker |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| s]{.smallcaps}** |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > **January 8 -- | 39.2 | 41.5 | 39.2  | 46.9    | 37.5  | 38.2   |
| > 14, 2006**     |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > October 9 --   | 39.4 | 44.7 | 39.1  | 44.8    | 39.7  | 42.0   |
| > 15, 2005       |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| > January 9 --   | 38.7 | \*   | 37.0  | 45.2    | 36.3  | 37.0   |
| > 15, 2005       |      | 44.4 |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+
| ^1/^ Excludes    |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| Agricultural     |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| Service workers. |      |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| ^2/^ United      |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| States exclude   |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| Alaska.          |      |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| ^3/^ Value of    |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| any perquisites  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| provided are not |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| included in wage |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| rates.           |      |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| ^4/^             |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| Insufficient     |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| data for         |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| livestock..      |      |      |       |         |       |        |
|                  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
| **\*** Revised.  |      |      |       |         |       |        |
+------------------+------+------+-------+---------+-------+--------+

**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 January 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 January 8-14, 2006.

**[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
11 and 27 percent at the regional level. The U.S. all hired farm worker
wage rate had a relative sampling error of 1.4 percent. The relative
sampling error was 1.5 percent for the combined field and livestock
worker wage rate. Relative sampling errors for the all hired farm worker
wage rate generally ranged between 3 and 12 percent at the regional
levels. Relative sampling errors for wage rates published by type of
farm and economic class of farm generally ranged between 3 and 30
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 January 2005 and October 2005 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.