Press Release, New York Farm Bureau

During a conference call with reporters on Wednesday, farmers spoke out against plans to raise the minimum wage to $10.50 or higher in New York. It would strain farmer income and place farmers in this state at a further competitive disadvantage.

New York Farm Bureau has compared other minimum wage rates across the country, including those states New York directly competes with in the dairy industry. California is the only large dairy state with a similar minimum wage. California stands at $9. However, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Idaho are all at the federal standard of $7.25.

But this isn’t just about rising wage rates for those earning the minimum. Farmers in New York routinely pay well above current rate. It was revealed during the press conference call, that according to the USDA, farms in New York already pay an average agriculture wage rate of $12.15.

Farmers expressed that upping the New York minimum wage would lift all wages on their farms. They said a worker, who already earns a higher hourly rate based on experience and time on the farm, would also expect a bump in salary to match.

Sandie Prokop, a dairy farmer with Crossbrook Farm in Schoharie County, estimates a $1.75 wage increase and additional payroll taxes for her six employees would add an additional $44,354 to her payroll. This is at a time when the income her family’s farm receives for milk has dropped dramatically in recent months.

Because of dropping milk prices set by the federal milk marketing order, she said her milk income has fallen more than $40,000 in the first two months of the year and expects the March check to be even lower. Prokop said they have already cut costs where they can and do not know where else to trim should labor costs climb again.

“You can’t give one employee a raise and not another,” said Prokop. “It’s a significant amount of money without any time to prepare. We are price takers and not price makers. We do not have that $45,000 available. The choices become very dark and very serious for everyone that is milking cows and farming in New York.”

Brian Reeves of Reeves Farms in Baldwinsville runs a vegetable and fruit farm, including a u-pick operation. He also expressed that this hike would drive up wages across the board for his employees. He estimates that a $10.50 rate and added payroll taxes would cost his farm an additional $50,000 a year.

“This isn’t a story of ‘gee, we have minimum wage workers and can’t give them another quarter.’ We are already paying well above it. Our entire payroll creeps up when the minimum wage goes up and has a profound impact on your bottom line,” said Reeves. “Where the rub is for me is I compete with Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, states that typically have fewer expenses to farm than we do in New York.”

New York Farm Bureau has continually supported keeping the state minimum wage linked with that of the federal minimum wage, as NY farmers are competing in a global marketplace. Farmers can’t pass along the increases to wholesalers, processors and grocery stores because of competition from farms in other states and countries.

“Farmers can’t simply raise our prices because labor prices are going up,” said Dean Norton, New York Farm Bureau President. “This is not a wise strategy to support agriculture or business in the State of New York.”

ALBION – The father of a worker from Mexico who died in an Aug. 29 farm accident will be in Albion on Friday for a vigil and rally in memory of his son.

Luis Daniel Larios Hernandez was 25 when he died late last summer. He was part of a work crew employed by Root Brothers that was “on loan” to Kirby Farm and was irrigating a field of tomato plants.

Larios Hernandez was standing next to a parked farm truck when a second truck (also parked and un-occupied) rolled down a slight incline and struck the victim, pinning him between the two vehicles, according to the report from Orleans County Sheriff’s Department.

Larios Hernandez is survived by his wife Teresa and 4-year-old daughter Citlalli of Jalisco, Mexico, according to the Worker Justice Center of NY.

The organization has planned an 11:30 a.m. vigil on Friday for Larios Hernandez at the First Presbyterian Church of Albion. Larios Hernandez’s father, Daniel Larios Hernandez, is attending the vigil.

He will also be part of a press conference outside Root Brothers Farms at 12:30 p.m. at 12595 West Lee Rd. Larios Hernandez and the Worker Justice Center of NY will also visit the site of the fatal accident at 3400 Densmore Rd. at 1 p.m.

The Worker Justice Center of NY wants to highlight the danger for many workers on the farms, said Carly Fox, a worker organizer with the Justice Center.

She said Root Brothers was fined $7,000 by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration following the death of Larios Hernandez.

“That is not enough for a farm to change its policies and procedures,” she said.

The Justice Center would like to see more safety training for workers, and overtime pay for the employees who often work 12 hours or more in the hot weather.

“There are a lot of precautions in other industries, but they do not exist in the agricultural industry,” Fox said.

She said 61 farmworkers have been killed on farms between 2006-2014, with 23 dying in 2014, with tractor rollovers and entanglement in other farm machinery the leading causes of death.

“This is a region of the state that is extremely rich in agricultural products and we celebrate that,” Fox said. “But the underbelly of that is a lot of workers are afraid to speak out on the conditions.”

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – These horses are out getting a drink from a waterlogged pasture at the corner of Route 31 and Long Bridge Road in Albion late this afternoon. The horses are owned by the Bokman family.

They were out at about 5 p.m. when it was 32 degrees out. The temperature will fall to 16 degrees tonight, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

Thursday is forecast for a high of 35 and a low of 22, followed by 39 and 31 on Friday, and 42 and 18 on Saturday, according to the Weather Service.