Narrative: e. 1.

Maine's migrant seasonal farm workers (MSFWs) cycle through various labor-intensive crop harvests including blueberry, broccoli, diversified vegetable crops, apple, and poultry industry operations during Maine’s short agricultural production season (primarily June-September). The blueberry harvest begins in late July early August, broccoli and diversified vegetables August through late September and apples in October. During peak agriculture months, blueberry, diversified vegetable crops, apple, broccoli, and cauliflower operations in Androscoggin, Oxford, Washington, Aroostook, and the mid-coast counties see the bulk of independent MSFWs and Foreign Labor H-2A workers in Maine. MSFWs also work off-season as it relates to holiday wreath making and seafood processing. MSFWs that generally do farm work during the agricultural season in Maine and the Northeast, head for the wreath making operations in Washington County to work in production from early November to mid-December. Due to the success of two large wreath making operations, wreath making operations employ approximately 750 temporary workers, most of whom are MSFWs, most who originate from out of state. In late October to mid-December SWA outreach efforts focus on these workers.

The chart below shows the number of MSFWs that were provided with some level of service during 2018-19. This assistance includes job referral information, answering questions on worker wage deductions, provision of housing standards information and working conditions requirements, and issues pertaining to discrimination.

 Services Provided to Migrant Seasonal Farm Workers 2018-2019

The numbers above are based on service transactions provided to job seekers who register and self-identify as a MSFW and are active on the Maine JobLink (MJL). Job seekers on the MJL that do not receive services for 90 days become inactive. Returning job seekers who reactivate their accounts count as new registrants with new service transactions. Total number of services is always equal to or greater than the number of individuals served. The quarters above are ‘rolling-quarters’ in that services reported each quarter are an accumulation of the quarters preceding the reporting period.

Summary of Agricultural Activity in the State; Maine’s agricultural sector is large and diverse, contributing significantly to Maine’s overall economy. Data in the 2017 Census of Agriculture by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service lists 7,600 farms in Maine managing over 1.3 million acres with the number of farms decreasing by 7 percent since 2012. Most Maine farms are small family-operated enterprises employing few people beyond family members. The average size of farms is 172 acres, with forty-seven percent less than 50 acres in size. The 2017 census indicates 29 percent of Maine farms hire farm labor for a total of 9,324 workers (hired farm labor excluding contract workers). A total of 9,807 unpaid workers (agricultural workers not on the payroll who performed activities or worked on a farm or ranch) reflect the number of family members working on farms. In 2017, 2,191 migrant workers, including contract workers, were hired.

The demand for farm labor remains consistent in an economic climate of low unemployment and a general shortage of workers overall across most industries. From small to large scale farm operations, and across a diversity of types of agricultural products, labor shortage emerges as a dominant concern among agricultural employers. A gradual decline in the numbers of migrant workers only exacerbates the labor challenge for Maine farm operators.