Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 6/10/20

Farm laborers are deemed essential workers, given their critical role in the food supply chain, but the Trump administration so far has left it up to farmers to protect their workforce from getting sick in lieu of mandatory safety rules. Labor advocates say too many ag employers still haven’t taken enough precautions, as farms in nearly every region are seeing a spike in positive cases, writes Pro Ag’s Liz Crampton.

To name a few: More than 100 farmworkers at large produce operations in New Jersey contracted the virus in May. Nearly 500 laborers have been infected in Washington’s Yakima Valley, which produces most of the nation’s tree fruit. And there are now around 500 cases in Immokalee, a major tomato-growing region in South Florida.

What to do? Labor leaders are asking for more testing at farms and worker camps, safer housing accommodations and extra financial and health benefits. In the absence of federal protections, they’re turning to state leaders for support instead.

More spread ahead? Out of some 2.5 million workers, about a quarter of the farm labor force follows the harvest from region to region, potentially helping the coronavirus spread to more states and more farms in the coming weeks — just as cities and states are lifting lockdown restrictions and businesses reopen.

— For example, tomato season is wrapping up in Florida, and pickers are beginning to move north to harvest other types of crops. Doctors Without Borders, which set up a mobile clinic in Immokalee to test farmworkers and distribute sanitation products, is now evaluating where to travel next.

— “Covid is here for the foreseeable future,” said Jean Stowell, head of the group’s U.S. coronavirus team. “So the issue of not having access to safe isolation will continue to be a problem for this community wherever they move, whether it’s Immokalee or Michigan.”