Reporting Contract

Labor on the

Agricultural Labor

Survey

Heather Ridolfo and Kathy Ott

United States

Department of

Agricultural

National

Agricultural

Statistics

Service

Research and

Development Division

Washington, DC 20250

RDD Research Report

Number RDD-20-03

September 2020

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the author and should not be construed to represent any

official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.
1

Reporting Contract Labor on the Agricultural Labor Survey

Heather Ridolfo and Kathy Ott

Abstract

The Agricultural Labor Survey collects comprehensive information on workers hired and paid 

directly by U.S. farms and ranches to do agricultural work. However, it does not collect 

information on farm labor hired and paid through third-party contractors. In 2018, the National 

Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) explored options for measuring contract labor on U.S. 

farms and ranches. NASS developed and tested a new survey targeting farm labor contractors, 

which was similar in content to the Agricultural Labor Survey. However, testing revealed it was 

not feasible to survey this population. An alternative solution was explored – asking farm and 

ranch operators to report information on their contract laborers. In the current study, five 

exploratory interviews were conducted to assess farm operators’ ability to report detailed 

information on their contract labor. The following report provides a summary of the findings from 

these interviews. 

Key Words: agricultural labor, contract labor, wages

1. INTRODUCTION

In 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture asked the National Agricultural Statistics Service 

(NASS) to explore the development of a new survey that would measure contract labor on U.S. 

farms and ranches. NASS currently conducts the Agricultural Labor Survey, which collects

information on the number of workers, hours worked, and wages paid to workers who are 

directly hired and paid by U.S. farms and ranches. Respondents to the Agricultural Labor Survey 

are instructed to only report workers that they hired and paid directly and exclude all “contract 

workers.” In an attempt to capture labor data on all agricultural workers, NASS explored 

conducting a separate survey (the Agricultural Labor Contractor Survey) where the target 

population was labor contractors. A draft questionnaire was developed and cognitive testing was 

conducted in Florida and Georgia. The results of this testing indicated that it was not feasible to 

effectively survey this population (Ott 2018). 

As an alternative, NASS explored whether farm and ranch operators could provide enough

information on the labor they hired through third-party contractors. Five exploratory interviews 

were conducted. The purpose of the interviews was to determine whether 1) respondents could 

provide information on their contract labor and 2) if not, would they be willing to provide their 

contractors’ contact information. The following report will detail findings from this exploratory 

research. 

2. METHODOLOGY

To recruit respondents for this study, 72 operations, who reported contract labor expenses and 

internet access on the 2012 Census of Agriculture and had responded to NASS surveys via the 
2

web, were identified. Twenty respondents were contacted. Five respondents agreed to participate 

in the study. 

The intent was to conduct the interviews via WebEx. However, it was found that the interviews 

could be sufficiently conducted over the phone. The interviews took place between July and 

August 2018. Interviewers used a semi-structured interview guide. In some interviews, the 

interviewer shared a draft of the Contractor Alternative Agricultural Labor Survey. A copy of the 

Contractor Alternative Agricultural Labor Survey can be found in the Appendix. 

3. RESULTS

Understanding Contract Labor

Of the five respondents interviewed, three indicated they had “contract labor” and two indicated 

they did not. The three respondents who indicated they had contract labor understood this term as 

referring to workers that were hired and paid through a third-party contractor. 

One of the respondents who said that she did not have contract labor, indicated that she pays her 

workers directly. However, these workers are not on her payroll. Instead, she issued them a 1099

at the end of the year. 

The second respondent, who indicated that he did not have contract labor, had workers he did not 

hire and pay directly but rather were hired through a third-party contractor. This respondent did 

not consider these workers to be contract labor because he did not have a formal contract with 

the contractor who brings the laborers to his farm. The contractor brings the laborers to the farm.

If they are being paid a piece rate, the respondent will track how many pieces each person picks 

and then will provide cash for each worker to the contractor. If the workers are being paid an 

hourly rate, the respondent will count the number of workers who come that day, and then 

provide the contractor the total amount to distribute to the workers. The respondent never hires 

or pays the workers directly. He negotiates the pay for the work being done ahead of time, but he 

has no formal contract with the contractor who brings the labor.

Ability to Report Contract Labor

One respondent, who had contract labor, indicated that she was not knowledgeable enough to 

provide information on the number of workers, hours worked, and wages paid. She said her farm 

manager handles this. The respondent was not willing to provide contact information for the 

farm manager. However, she indicated she would pass along the interviewer’s contact 

information to the farm manager. The interviewer never received a response from the farm 

manager. 

Two respondents indicated that they only had partial knowledge regarding the contract labor. 

One respondent knew the total hours worked and total gross wages paid, but she did not know 

the total number of workers or how much of the total gross wages were overtime or bonus pay. 

She said if she received this survey in the mail and could not answer the questions, she would 

call the contractor directly and get the information. Another respondent indicated that he knew 
3

the total boxes picked and the total amount paid to the contractor. However, he did not know the 

number of workers, hours worked, or wages paid to those workers. This respondent indicated 

that he would be willing to provide the contact information of his contractor. 

The one respondent, who incorrectly indicated that he did not have contract labor, could report 

number of workers, hours worked (even when workers were paid a piece rate), and wages paid.

4. CONCLUSION

Respondents had different interpretations of the term “contract labor.” For the purposes of the 

Agricultural Labor Survey, contract labor is labor that the farm did not hire and pay directly but 

rather was hired and paid through a third party. One respondent was selected into the sample for 

the exploratory interviews because she indicated on her 2012 Census of Agriculture form that 

she had contract labor expenses. However, this respondent interpreted contract labor to mean 

workers who were not on her payroll but rather were paid as independent contractors and issued 

a 1099. Another respondent, who hired and paid workers through a third party, did not interpret 

these workers to be contract labor, as he did not have a formal contract agreement with the 

contractor. These findings indicate that respondents may have difficulty determining if their 

workers are contractors when completing any questionnaire asking about contract labor, whether 

it be the current Agricultural Labor Survey or any new/edited survey. 

Respondents, who had contract labor, did not have enough knowledge to report information on 

the number of workers, hours worked, and wages paid. Only one of the four respondents who 

had contract labor was able to report all of this information. Additionally, respondents were not 

always willing to provide NASS their contractors’ contact information. 

The findings from this research must be interpreted cautiously as the results are only based on 

five interviews. During data collection for this project, NASS made the decision to suspend 

research on collecting data on contract labor. This limited the scope of this research and the 

conclusions that can be drawn from it. However, based on these five interviews, it does appear 

that farm operators may not be able to provide sufficient information on their contract labor. 

5. RECOMMENDATION

Do not ask farm operators to report information on their contract labor. 

6. REFERENCES

Ott, Kathy. 2018. 2018 Agricultural Labor Contractor Cognitive Testing Final Report. 

Washington, DC: National Agricultural Statistics Service. 
4

APPENDIX: Questionnaire Used during Testing
Section 1 – WORKERS HIRED AND PAID BY THIS OPERATION 

July 2018

S M T W Th F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31

 

1. Did this operation directly hire and pay anyone to do agricultural work the week of July 8th through July 14th?

INCLUDE:

 Part-time workers, paid family members, and hired managers 

 All hired workers regardless of method of pay (salaried, hourly, daily, monthly, piece rate, etc.)

 Workers on paid leave (sick or vacation) 

EXCLUDE:

 Contract and custom workers

 Retail workers and “value-added” workers

600 1 Yes [Continue]

3 No [Go to page 2]

2 Don't Know [Go to page 2]

TOTAL NUMBER

2. How many workers did you have on payroll to do agricultural work the week of July 8th through July 

14th?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

660

NUMBER OF 

WORKERS

3. In 2018, how many of these total paid workers for that week will be paid by this operation for 150 

days or more of work?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

700

Office Use Only

599

7
- 2 -

Section 1 - WORKERS HIRED AND PAID BY THIS OPERATION (continued)

4. Fill out the table below for the workers hired and paid directly by the operation to do agricultural work the week of July 

8

th through July 14th.

 Report workers who fall under the same worker code on a single line. 

 Record each worker only once

 Report only one week of hours and wages for the reference week

 Base wages include the minimum amount paid regardless of method of pay (salaried, hourly, piece rate, etc.) but 

exclude bonus and overtime pay

 Bonus pay includes performance pay, hazard pay, other regularly paid bonuses, etc. that are paid in addition to the 

base wages 

INCLUDE:

 Part-time workers, paid family members, and hired managers 

 Workers on paid leave (sick or vacation) (include typical hours and wages for the week)

EXCLUDE:

 Contract and custom workers

 Retail workers and “value-added” workers

Enter the 

Worker Code

from 

Page 3

Number of 

Paid Workers

that week

Total 

Hours Worked

that week

Total 

Gross Wages 

Paid that week

(Dollars)

How much of the Total Gross Wages Paid that 

week were....

Total 

Base Wages 

(Dollars)

Total 

Bonus Wages 

(Dollars)

Total

Overtime Wages 

(Dollars)

12 60 3000 $42,000 $36,000 $6,000 $0

32 2 100 $1,500 $1,400 $0 $100

12 4 170 $2,120 $1,920 $200 $0

611 612 613 614 Xxx xxx xxx

611 612 613 614 Xxx xxx xxx

611 612 613 614 Xxx xxx xxx

611 612 613 614 Xxx xxx xxx

611 612 613 614 Xxx xxx xxx

611 612 613 614 Xxx xxx xxx

611 612 613 614 Xxx Xxx Xxx

611 612 613 614 Xxx Xxx Xxx

Office Use Only Use – Completion Code - Usability

1 – Incomplete, Has Labor

2 – Incomplete, Unknown 

3 – No Labor

698
- 3 -

Worker Code for Sections 1 and 3

Code Work Hired to Do

 FIELD WORKERS

11 Agricultural Equipment Operators - Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse: 

Drive and control farm equipment to till soil and to plant, cultivate, and harvest crops. 

12

Farmworkers - Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse: 

Manually plant, cultivate, and harvest vegetables, fruits, nuts, horticultural specialties, field crops, Christmas trees and short rotation woody crops. 

Use hand tools, such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears, and knives. Duties may include tilling soil and applying fertilizers; 

transplanting, weeding, thinning, or pruning crops; applying pesticides; or cleaning, grading, sorting, packing, and loading harvested products. 

May construct trellises, repair fences and farm buildings, or participate in irrigation activities. 

13 Graders And Sorters - Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse Products: 

Grade, sort, or classify agricultural crops by size, weight, color or condition. 

14 Hand Packers And Packagers - Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse Products: 

Pack or package by hand a wide variety of products and materials. 

15 All Other Field Workers: 

All agricultural workers working with crops, nursery or greenhouse products not included in codes 11-14. 

 LIVESTOCK WORKERS

20 Agricultural Equipment Operators – Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals: Drive and control heavy farm equipment while 

attending to live farm, ranch, or aquacultural animals and in harvest of unprocessed animal products.

21

Farmworkers - Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals: Attend to live farm, ranch, or aquacultural animals including cattle, sheep, 

swine, goats, horses and other equines, poultry, finfish, shellfish, and bees. Duties may include feeding, watering, herding, milking, grazing, 

castrating, branding, de-beaking, weighing, catching, and loading animals. May conduct simple exams; maintain records; assist in births; and 

administer medications, vaccinations, or insecticides. May clean and maintain animal housing areas.

22 Graders And Sorters - Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animal Products: 

Grade, sort, or classify unprocessed food and other agricultural products by size, weight, color, or condition.

23 Hand Packers And Packagers - Farm, Ranch and Aquacultural Animal Products:

Pack or package by hand a wide variety of products and materials. 

24 All Other Livestock Workers:

All agricultural workers working with farm, ranch and aquacultural animals or products not included in codes 20 – 23. 

 SUPERVISORS

31

Farmers, Ranchers and Other Agricultural Managers:

Plan, direct, or coordinate the management or operation of farms, ranches, greenhouses, aquacultural operations, nurseries, tree farms, or other 

agricultural establishments. 

32 First-Line Supervisors of Farm Workers:

Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of agricultural, aquacultural, and related workers. 

 OTHER WORKERS

41

Agricultural Inspectors:

Inspect agricultural commodities, processing equipment and facilities, and aquacultural operations, to ensure compliance with regulations and 

laws governing health, quality, and safety. 

42 Animal Breeders:

Select and breed animals according to their genealogy, characteristics, and offspring. 

43

Pesticide Handlers and Sprayers:

Mix or apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or insecticides through sprays, dusts, vapors, soil incorporation, or chemical application to all crops 

including nursery and greenhouse products and facilities, and livestock, and livestock facilities. Usually requires specific training and state or 

federal certification. Excludes pilots who dust or spray crops from aircraft.

44

Any Other Worker Not Listed Above:

Including, but not limited to, mechanics, shop workers, truck drivers, accountants, bookkeepers, office workers. Excluding contract & custom

workers, retail workers, and “value-added” workers.
- 4 -

Section 2 - WORKERS HIRED AND PAID BY THIS OPERATION IN 2018 

1. During 2018, what was or will be the largest number of hired workers on the payroll on any one day?

Only include those workers that were directly hired and paid by the farm operation. 

INCLUDE:

 Part-time workers, paid family members, and hired managers 

 All hired workers regardless of method of pay (salaried, hourly, daily, monthly, piece rate etc.)

 Workers on paid leave (sick or vacation) 

EXCLUDE:

 Contract and custom workers

 Retail workers and “value-added” workers

........................................................

None

...........................278.........3

Largest Number of 

Workers in 2018

277

2. During 2018, did or will this operation directly hire and pay any H-2A temporary agricultural workers?

The H-2A program allows agricultural employers who anticipate a shortage of domestic workers to bring nonimmigrant 

foreign workers to the U.S. to perform agricultural labor or services of a temporary or seasonal nature. 

279 1 Yes 

 3 No

 2 Don't Know
- 5 -

Section 3 – CONTRACT LABOR 

July 2018

S M T W Th F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31

 

1. Did this operation have any contract labor do agricultural work the week of July 8th through July 14th? Contract labor 

includes labor that hired and paid through a third party. 

INCLUDE:

 Full and part-time contract workers

EXCLUDE:

 Workers directly hired and paid by the operation

600 1 Yes [Continue]

3 No [Go to page 6]

2 Don't Know [Go to page 6]

TOTAL NUMBER

2. How many contract workers were paid to do agricultural work the week of July 8th through July 14th?

660

NUMBER OF 

WORKERS

3. In 2018, how many of these contract workers paid that week will be paid by this operation for 150 

days or more of work?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

700

Office Use Only

599

7
- 6 -

Section 3 – CONTRACT LABOR (continued)

4. Fill out the table below for the workers paid by a contractor to do agricultural work the week of July 8th through July 14th. 

Report workers who fall under the same worker code on a single line. 

 Record each worker only once

 Report only one week of hours and wages for the reference week

 Base wages include the minimum amount paid regardless of method of pay (salaried, hourly, piece rate, etc.) but 

exclude bonus and overtime pay

 Bonus pay includes performance pay, hazard pay, other regularly paid bonuses, etc. that are paid in addition to the 

base wages 

INCLUDE:

 Full and part-time workers

EXCLUDE:

 Workers directly hired and paid by the operation

Enter the 

Worker Code

from 

Page 3

Number of 

Paid Workers

that week

Total 

Hours Worked

that week

Total 

Gross Wages 

Paid that week

(Dollars)

How much of the Total Gross Wages Paid that 

week were....

Total 

Base Wages 

(Dollars)

Total 

Bonus Wages 

(Dollars)

Total

Overtime Wages 

(Dollars)

12 60 3000 $42,000 $36,000 $6,000 $0

32 2 100 $1,500 $1,400 $0 $100

12 4 170 $2,120 $1,920 $200 $0

611 612 613 614 Xxx xxx xxx

611 612 613 614 Xxx xxx xxx

611 612 613 614 Xxx xxx xxx

611 612 613 614 Xxx xxx xxx

611 612 613 614 Xxx xxx xxx

611 612 613 614 Xxx xxx xxx

611 612 613 614 Xxx Xxx Xxx

611 612 613 614 Xxx Xxx Xxx

Office Use Only Use – Completion Code - Usability

1 – Incomplete, Has Labor

2 – Incomplete, Unknown 

3 – No Labor

698
- 7 -

Section 4 - CONTRACT LABOR IN 2018 

1. During 2018, what was or will be the largest number of contract workers who performed agricultural 

work on your operation on any one day? Only include workers that hired and paid through a third party 

contractor.

INCLUDE:

 Full and part-time workers

 EXCLUDE: 

 Workers directly hired and paid by the operation

.......................................................

None

...........................278.........3

Largest Number of 

Contract Workers 

in 2018

277

2. During 2018, did or will this operation have any H-2A temporary agricultural workers hired through a contractor?

The H-2A program allows agricultural employers who anticipate a shortage of domestic workers to bring nonimmigrant 

foreign workers to the U.S. to perform agricultural labor or services of a temporary or seasonal nature. 

279 1 Yes 

 3 No

 2 Don't Know