Farm Commons
by Rachel Armstrong
NCAT/ATTRA, in collaboration with California Farmlink, has produced a booklet that outlines the things all growers should know about labor regs, and use of volunteers, apprentices, and interns. This free publication can be found at:
https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/summaries/summary.php?pub=461
The guide is intended to help farmers become familiar with the labor laws that govern California agriculture as they pertain to having someone work on your farm, whether in an educational capacity or not. It includes basic information about farm labor law as well as discussion of alternative options for small growers who host interns or have an apprenticeship program.
While this guide is written for California and does not discuss the labor laws in other states, the information on federal laws and alternative options may be applicable in all states and may help lay the foundation for understanding state-specific requirements.
For-profit farms that use volunteers are taking risks. To further emphasize this, here is a story about a California farm that was fined $115,000 for violations extending from the use of volunteers.