9781422276648

Is This Job Right for You? To find out if being a farmworker is a good fit for you, read each of the following statements and answer “Yes” or “No.” Yes No 1. Do you mind working outdoors in hot weather? Yes No 2. Can you be careful in working with farm chemicals? Yes No 3. Can you begin working at the minimum wage? Yes No 4. Is it okay with you for your work to vary seasonally? Yes No 5. Is it important to you that your work is easy to get? Yes No 6. Do you speak Spanish, or are you willing to learn? Yes No 7. Is it okay that your job does not come with benefits? Yes No 8. Do you prefer working outside with your hands more than being inside an office or factory? Yes No 9. Can you carefully handle delicate, ripening fruit? Yes No 10. Do you like the idea of helping things grow? If you can answer “Yes” to most of these questions, read on to find out more about a career as a farmworker. What’s the Work Like? Farmworkers play a crucial role in ensuring that your local supermarket can stock fresh fruits and vegetables. Food grown and harvested by farmworkers also finds its way into restaurant kitchens and prepared foods. Your work in this field will depend upon the type of crop that you grow and the climate in which you live. The duties of a farmworker who tends orange groves in Florida will differ from those of a farmworker who grows potatoes in Idaho. There are certain features of the job that are consistent across TALKING MONEY Agricultural work is very low paying. The average hourly rate for farmworkers in 2016 was $10.83 per hour. Farmworkers are rarely unionized, and jobs rarely come with benefits, such as health in- surance and retirement savings accounts. Jobs in rural areas tend to come with housing; jobs near urban areas are less likely to offer housing as part of the compensation package.

• Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources

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