2015 Farm Labor Adjustments to the November, 2015 Publication

2015 Farm Labor Survey Adjustments to the November, 2015 Publication

The NASS Farm Labor Survey publication will continue to include the same summarized data tables using the Dept. of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) worker categories that were historically published, and can be found at the following link.

http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1063

These four worker categories (Field, Livestock, Field and Livestock, and All Hired) were also listed on page 3 of the Agricultural Labor Survey Supporting Statement.

Beginning in November, 2015 NASS will expand the publication to also include tables with the farm labor data being summarized using the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes. (See information on the next page.)

Historically, the ETA codes 41 – 44 (Other Farm Labor) were not published independently but were included in the “all hired workers” less field and livestock workers and supervisors. Since there are not direct correlations between these codes and the SOC codes, or there are not a sufficient amount of data collected, they will be excluded from the new portion of the publication.

The following table identifies the link between the Farm Labor Survey Codes collected by NASS and how they will be published in conjunction with the Standard Occupational Classification codes. Data for the four quarters collected during 2015 will be published in the November, 2015 release. The data will be on a US level only. In some of the quarters, the data for certain items may need to be suppressed due to confidentiality rules.

Farm Labor Survey (FLS) Code(s) from Questionnaire	Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Codes: Title - for Publication
31	11-9013: Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers
32	45-1011: First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers
13 & 22	45-2041: Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products
11	45-2091: Agricultural Equipment Operators
12	45-2092: Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
21	45-2093: Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals
15 & 24	45-2099: Agricultural Workers, All Other
14 & 23	53-7064: Packers and Packagers, Hand
	Includes aggregation of FLS codes into SOC codes 45-2041, 45-2099 & 53-7064. No occupational groups below the 2010 SOC detailed occupation/code will be published.
	Data items to be published are "number of workers" & "hourly wage rate." Data items will be published for each quarter that publication criteria are met. Where publication criteria are not met, data will be suppressed in publication.
	Per current questionnaire design, codes 45-2091 & 45-2093 overlap where "Livestock Workers" are primarily equipment operators (these workers are currently recorded as farmworkers and not equipment operators). There is no practical consequence of this overlap, currently. Questionnaire will be updated for 2016, to separately record equipment operators which fall under the livestock worker category. For 2015, the inconsistency between the questionnaire & the report will be noted/addressed. The alternative aggregation of all 45-2090 detailed codes, or some alternate grouping within 45-2090 or 45-2000, does not seem to be a reasonable solution. Contingent on SOC PC review & approval.
	All FLS "Other Workers," FLS codes 41-44 which include SOC codes 45-2011, 45-2021, 37-2021 & 37-3021 - will not meet publication criteria and/or will not meet suggested criteria for publication by SOC class, even when appropriate aggregation considered. Currently the 37-0000 SOC major group does not appear to directly apply to FLS. FLS codes 41-44 will not be candidates for publication by SOC class or grouping, and will not be represented in the SOC publication tables. Contingent on SOC PC review & approval.

Worker codes for NASS Farm Labor Survey (FLS)
FIELD WORKERS
11	Agricultural Equipment Operators - Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse: Drive and control farm equipment to till soil and to plant, cultivate, and harvest crops.
12	Farmworkers - Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse: Manually plant, cultivate, and harvest vegetables, fruits, nuts, horticultural specialties, field crops, Christmas trees and short rotation woody crops. Use hand tools, such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears, and knives. Duties may include tilling soil and applying fertilizers; transplanting, weeding, thinning, or pruning crops; applying pesticides; or cleaning, grading, sorting, packing, and loading harvested products. May construct trellises, repair fences and farm buildings, or participate in irrigation activities.
13	Graders And Sorters - Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse Products: Grade, sort, or classify agricultural crops by size, weight, color or condition.
14	Hand Packers And Packagers - Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse Products: Pack or package by hand a wide variety of products and materials.
15	All Other Field Workers: All agricultural workers working with crops, nursery or greenhouse products not included in codes 11-14.
LIVESTOCK WORKERS
21	Farmworkers - Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals: Attend to live farm, ranch, or aquacultural animals that may include cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses and other equines, poultry, finfish, shellfish, and bees. Attend to animals produced for animal products, such as meat, fur, skins, feathers, eggs, milk, and honey. Duties may include feeding, watering, herding, grazing, castrating, branding, de-beaking, weighing, catching, and loading animals. May maintain records on animals; examine animals to detect diseases and injuries; assist in birth deliveries; and administer medications, vaccinations, or insecticides as appropriate. May clean and maintain animal housing areas. Includes workers who drive and control equipment to accomplish the tasks described.
22	Graders And Sorters - Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animal Products: Grade, sort, or classify unprocessed food and other agricultural products by size, weight, color, or condition.
23	Hand Packers And Packagers - Farm, Ranch and Aquacultural Animal Products: Pack or package by hand a wide variety of products and materials.
24	All Other Livestock Workers: All agricultural workers working with farm, ranch and aquacultural animals or products not included in codes 21 – 23.
SUPERVISORS
31	Farmers, Ranchers and Other Agricultural Managers: Plan, direct, or coordinate the management or operation of farms, ranches, greenhouses, aquacultural operations, nurseries, tree farms, or other agricultural establishments.
32	First-Line Supervisors of Farm Workers: Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of agricultural, aquacultural, and related workers.

Data for the following 4 codes will not be broken out in the new publication in November, 2015. The data that has been collected and summarized will not support the publication of these codes.

OTHER WORKERS
41	Agricultural Inspectors: Inspect agricultural commodities, processing equipment and facilities, and aquacultural operations, to ensure compliance with regulations and laws governing health, quality, and safety.
42	Animal Breeders: Select and breed animals according to their genealogy, characteristics, and offspring.
43	Pesticide Handlers and Sprayers: Mix or apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or insecticides through sprays, dusts, vapors, soil incorporation, or chemical application to all crops including nursery and greenhouse products and facilities, and livestock, and livestock facilities. Usually requires specific training and state or federal certification. Excludes pilots who dust or spray crops from aircraft.
44	Any Other Worker Not Listed Above: Including, but not limited to, mechanics, shop workers, truck drivers, aerial crop dusters, accountants, bookkeepers, office workers.

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