A nonprofit is looking to improve the living and working conditions of migrant farm workers in Virginia's Eastern Shore.

Every year, hundreds of people come to the region - often from Mexico - to help harvest tomatoes, potatoes, and other produce. Wages can be good, but life in worker camps is isolating.

Local advocate Stacy Rhodes helps newcomers feel welcome in the community - by providing things like toiletries, t-shirts, and socks.

"They work in mud and in pretty difficult terrain, so they need to be able to clean and change their shoes," said Rhodes. "So providing welcome kits and trying to meet some of their basic clothing needs that they haven't been able to bring is a major activity."

The U.S. Department of Labor strengthened their protections for farmworkers earlier this summer - specifically trying to prevent food companies from exploiting migrant workers.

But Rhodes said more improvements could still be made - like providing better internet access, and air conditioning, and offering reliable transportation to and from towns, banks, and appointments.

Rhodes is a former USAID service officer, and member of the Agricultural Workers Advocacy Coalition - which helps fill in gaps where needs persist.

Another issue is that laborers often face food insecurity during stretches when there isn't work to do and people can't make money. That can happen during bad weather or a weak harvest.

"The workers do not save the pay that they receive," said Rhodes. "They send it home immediately, except for their immediate expenses. So they do not have reserves. And there have been times when the workers here, because of a lack of work, have really undergone food shortages in the camps."

Rhodes said minimum wages and food allowance guarantees could solve this issue.

Last year, the U.S. government issued more than 300,000 visas for migrant ag producers around the world.

This latest federal rule is one of several from the Biden Administration trying to give these workers more flexibility and labor rights.




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Consumers are unhappy with increasing food prices and blame inflation. In reality, natural disasters have a direct link to grocery costs, and no end is in sight.

Indiana farms are affected by climate change including hot, dry summers and excessive rain.

The weather extremes lower the productivity of their livestock which raises the price of dairy and meat products.

Trace One is a software and regulatory compliance company for the food and beverage industry.

Spokesperson Mike Stromberg said the effects of floods, hurricanes, drought, and extreme heat have a nationwide and global impact.

"The price of oranges and the price of orange juice have both steadily increased in recent years, due to declining production in Florida caused by large hurricanes," said Stromberg. "Grain prices are through the roof in critical agriculture regions like the Midwest. It starts with drought. It affects a huge portion of agriculture in that region, that has an after effect at the grocery store - in terms of your grocery prices."

Indiana ranked 24th in the Trace One study of all 52 states where natural disasters have the biggest impact on the nation's food supply.

Losses were mostly due to riverine flooding, or excessive water flow - in Clay, Dubois, Knox, Morgan, and Vigo counties.

Stromberg said innovation is needed to solve these dilemmas. One solution is to develop and distribute climate-resilient crops that can withstand extreme droughts and floods.

Other strategies are to implement effective water resource management systems and invest in flood-control measures alongside restoring natural buffers.

Wetlands and watersheds will act as sponges to help mitigate the dangers of excessive rainfall. More answers, he added, can take on a scientific tone.

"Also, farmers can use newer precision agriculture technologies," said Stromberg, "like IOT sensors, drones, advanced analytics that can allow farmers to better monitor weather patterns - things like soil health and their water usage, which can optimize resources better."

He advocated for the public to vote for policies that prioritize renewable energy, water conservation and sustainable agriculture to drive "incremental improvement" and for the public to reduce their food waste.

The study found that Hoosiers lost slightly more than $2,000 per household, or $826 per person, from food waste last year.




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As inflation and falling crop prices continue to affect farmers, their advocates say the incoming Trump administration could take steps to reform the nation's industrial agriculture system.

Potential steps include ending foreign farmland ownership, blocking a U.S. Department of Agriculture rule mandating farmers use electronic ID tags on livestock, supporting low-wage farmworkers, and ending lobbying by global food corporations - said Joe Maxwell, chief strategy officer for Farm Action.

The latest federal data show net farm income dropped by more than 4% this year, after declining by nearly 20% in 2023.

Maxwell said West Virginia voters overwhelmingly support reforms to break up major corporations' hold on the nation's food system.

"Eighty-eight percent of rural voters in battleground states during this last election cycle," said Maxwell, "say they would be more favorable toward a candidate who supports cracking down on meat processing monopolies and ensuring local businesses can compete."

Maxwell predicted that food producers will likely be hit harder by President Donald Trump's tariff plan.

The nation's largest food and agriculture legislation, known as the Farm Bill, expired last fall, and lawmakers have yet to agree on a new version.

This month, Congress passed a one year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill, with $10 billion in economic aid to farmers and temporary funding for federal farm programs.

Maxwell said a new Farm Bill would offer a chance to make major changes to benefit small farmers and consumers, and boost local supply chains.

"We believe with the current environment" said Maxwell, "it is reasonable to have the perfect opportunity to get both parties pushing for antitrust reform and action within the next two years."

According to a Farm Action report, between 2017 and 2022, more than 140,000 farmers nationwide went out of business.




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Farmers in Wisconsin may be breathing a sigh of relief going into the new year with the farm bill extension but it may be temporary, as experts said there are issues with continuing the current legislation.

One of the biggest problems cited with the current Farm Bill is it was negotiated more than five years ago, so the crop reference prices are outdated.

Paul Mitchell, professor of agriculture and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explained the reference prices allow payments to farmers when a crop falls below a certain level.

"Prices have been declining on the corn and soybeans and the processes used to create this support in these times of thin, negative margins, they're out-of-date," Mitchell pointed out. "Those floors were set in 2018, and you know, we've gone through a lot of inflation and so, $1,000 isn't what it used to be."

Mitchell noted farm organizations have been asking Congress to increase crop reference prices and change the process to make it more relevant to current commodity markets. The Farm Bill was extended again for another year as part of a spending bill to avert a federal government shutdown.

Mitchell emphasized a lot of uncertainty looms with the incoming administration's goal to cut budget costs. There's also a new Secretary of Agriculture nominee, who would play a key role in renegotiating trade agreements which could involve imposing proposed tariffs.

"My real worry is that agriculture will be collateral damage for the new administration as they pursue other political priorities, where agriculture is not their number one priority," Mitchell stressed. "They will take the cost of agricultural 'hurt' to address these issues they want to address, what partly helped them get elected."

He cited other areas of concern in the Farm Bill as crop insurance, conservation programs and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is still offering benefits too low to help those who need them, according to an Urban Institute report.


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