YAKIMA, Wash. -- Farm and fruit-packing workers are considered essential. And in Washington state, they're roiled in struggles for better working conditions.

Yakima County is the biggest hotspot for coronavirus cases on the West Coast, and the fruit-packing warehouses in the area have been a vector for the disease. Last week, workers at seven companies went on strike against unsafe conditions.

Marciano Sanchez, organizer with the Washington state farmworkers' union Familias Unidas por la Justicia, has been at protests alongside workers.

"They end up being really afraid because they're out there working without protections knowing that if they end up getting the coronavirus, it's pretty dangerous," Sanchez said. "And on top of that, they have to go back home where they have families and they don't want those families to get infected either."

Earlier this month, Familias Unidas, United Farmworkers of America and Community to Community Development sued state agencies to get transportation and workplace safety rules in place for farmworkers. Last week, a Skagit County judge decided to wait to order the state to implement rules because the state's attorney said they are coming soon. But the judge says he's continuing to monitor the situation.

Andrea Schmidt is an attorney with Columbia Legal Services representing the plaintiffs and said they're making progress.

"We feel like the lawsuit has been successful in that when we started pushing for these protections, the state had no plans to put out rules to protect farmworkers in this situation," Schmidt said.

But Schmidt said workers still are struggling for safe conditions, especially in Yakima Valley. She said workers are being called greedy for asking for hazard pay, even though other industries already are doing this.

"It's astounding that workers who are putting their lives on the line to produce our food would be vilified for asking for a way to have a little more in the bank for a time when they get sick," she said.

The companies involved say they have been working to implement safety standards as new guidelines emerge. The general manager at one facility, Monson Fruit Company, said they purchased 500 gallons of sanitizer and hired a sanitation team to clean the warehouse.


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The U.S. Department of Agriculture is making direct payments to minority ag producers that the government had previously discriminated against. But some advocates are hoping for more transparency about selection criteria and other information.

More than $2 billion is going to tens of thousands of farmers, ranchers and foresters, with 129 awards going to Missourians.

The USDA has a long history of discriminatory practices, including denying loans to Black and other minority farmers at greater rates than their white counterparts.

Sharon Mallory, executive director of the 2020 Farmers Co-op, said these payments are great, but the program could be improved.

"I'm not personally dazzled about numbers or dollar amounts unless I can connect that to the people that are being most impacted," said Mallory, "which is our our Black and small-scale farmers."

She said she wants the USDA to disclose its methodology for choosing applicants for these payments. Plus, more info about who reviewed the grants, and the racial demographics and farm sizes of the payouts.

The range of awards is large - between a few thousand dollars and a half-million dollars, with the average being about $82,000.

The money was authorized through the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act, and the majority of the recipients are from the deep South.

Mallory said agriculture has been consolidating in recent decades and smaller minority farmers have often been forced out of business. She said she's pushing for the USDA's program to improve, in part because of this history.

"You can be like an ostrich and put your head in the hole, you can put your blindfolds on, you can turn your head the other way," said Mallory. "But the fact of the matter is, it did happen. It's documented. It's not a secret, so let's address it."

One study found that Black American farmers lost more than $300 billion worth of land in the 20th century, in part due to the USDA's discriminatory practices.




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Ever order a hamburger at a restaurant and wonder where the ingredients came from? Farmers in North Dakota and surrounding states are leaning on a new federal program to help ensure those menu items come from their operations.

This week, partners under the Regional Food Business Center for North Central States gather in Fargo to help small and mid-sized food and farm businesses navigate government resources. The virtual center is one of 12 across the country announced by the USDA over the past year.

Jenny Lester Moffitt, undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs at the USDA, said some of the early funding went to North Dakota's Square One commercial kitchen, a rental space for culinary startups.

"Someone who's making jams, you can't afford a commercial kitchen just on your own," Moffitt pointed out. "What many folks will do is they'll come together and they'll say, 'We need a space in which to make our product that meets the different food safety requirements; also has the types of equipment that we need.'"

Another example is a family farm in North Dakota, specializing in pasture-raised poultry, receiving funds to expand its wildflower honey operations. The USDA has faced criticism for how it awards funding under separate initiatives, with money flowing to large-scale farms. But Moffitt noted requirements built into this program allow them to focus on under-resourced farmers and businesses.

Moffitt argued it is about more than awarding money and helping these farm and food businesses apply for other grants. She emphasized marketing expertise is another component, so places like restaurants and hospitals have more choices when buying food in bulk.

"It's choice for farmers and producers to be able to have more places that they can sell their product," Moffitt explained. "But also it's about choice for the buyers."

In the end, officials say building a more resilient and diversified food system benefits consumers, who might not feel the squeeze as much during future market disruptions. The north-central food hub covers North and South Dakota, and Minnesota. In its first year, more than $600,000 was awarded to local recipients, with application demand much higher.


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In a move to address historical injustices, the Biden administration announced $2 billion dollars in direct payments for Black and minority farmers discriminated against by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But for many in Florida, this aid comes too little, too late.

According to the USDA, more than 23,000 farmers have been approved for payments ranging from $10,000 to $500,000. An additional 20,000 people who planned to start farms but did not receive USDA loans will get between $3,500 and $6,000, mostly in Mississippi and Alabama.

Courtney Wilson, president of the Florida Black Farmers and Agricultualists Association, said the assistance comes amid ongoing struggles for land and financial support in the Sunshine State.

"It's a move in the right direction," he said, "but it's kind of late because of the ones that was going through the process of getting loans and doing things that way - trying to buy tractors and land, and farm equipment and fertilizer - either sold their land or lost their land."

Loss of land is a significant issue. Wilson said many Black farmers who leased land have been forced out because of new developments, and finding new land to lease is becoming more difficult. He said he plans to visit his local USDA office for more details on how he and his members can tap into needed funds.

According to legal documents, the historical context of this struggle is rooted in systemic discrimination. During President Barack Obama's era, the Pigford Settlement provided $50,000 to Black farmers who were discriminated against. Wilson said that also came too late to make anyone whole.

"If you go back to the Pigford case, you gave those farmers $50,000," he said. "But when they lost 200 acres and lost their tractors and lost equipment, what's $50,000 going to do for the ones that lost their land? All we're doing is playing catch-up."

And yet, Wilson said he appreciates the little help that comes around, and he's hoping to attract more young people to farming so they can breathe new life into the industry.


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