Aug. 9 NALC webinar to discuss essentials of farm labor law for employers and employees
“One of the most rapidly changing fields of law is labor and employment law that applies in the agricultural context.” — Brandon Davis
By Tru Joi Curtis
National Agricultural Law Center
U of A System Division of Agriculture
July 26, 2023
Fast facts
- NALC webinar on Aug. 9 will focus on farm labor law.
- Brandon Davis of Phelps Dunbar LLP is presenting.
- Registration is online.
(391 words)
Download related photo of Davis
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Labor costs for hired workers account for 12 percent of production
expenses for all farms, according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture.
As of April 2023, farms and ranches employed 651,000 workers, up 5 percent from 2022
according to the USDA’s Farm Labor report, which is a biannual report sharing data on the farmworker labor force.
Considering the substantial cost of farm labor and sheer number of farmworkers, it
is crucial for employers to understand farm labor law to have an effective farm or
ranch operation.
“One of the most rapidly changing fields of law is labor and employment law that applies
in the agricultural context,” Brandon Davis, partner at Phelps Dunbar LLP, said. “Agricultural employers are now finding new ways to operate large and small
businesses that support the global food supply chain. Regulations concerning the terms
and conditions of employment, wages, labor supply shortages, immigration reform, foreign
investment in agricultural lands and OSHA compliance are rapidly changing issues that
impact agricultural employment.”
OSHA is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the federal entity charged with regulating workplace conditions.
Davis will discuss various aspects of farm labor law that agricultural employers should
be aware of during the National Agricultural Law Center’s upcoming webinar, “The Changing
Landscape – Everything Agricultural Employers Should Understand About Farm Labor Law.”
The webinar will be held Wednesday, Aug. 9, at 11 am. Central/noon Eastern.
“The information I will share is targeted to help employers — and primarily agricultural
employers — understand the law for purposes of compliance and business development,”
Davis said.
The webinar is free of charge and registration is online.
There have been some key changes in the way employers verify work authorizations and
how workers are treated, said NALC Director Harrison Pittman.
“There have been updates to Form I-9 and federal E-Verify programs, as well as a recent
Supreme Court decision regarding employers’ obligation to yield to religious accommodation
of employees,” Pittman said. “These updates make the information Brandon will present
timelier and more important than ever.”
For information about the National Agricultural Law Center, visit nationalaglawcenter.org or follow @Nataglaw on Twitter. The National Agricultural Law Center is also on Facebook and LinkedIn.
For more updates on agricultural law and policy developments, subscribe free of charge
to The Feed, the NALC’s newsletter highlighting recent legal developments facing agriculture,
which issues twice a month.
About the National Agricultural Law Center
The National Agricultural Law Center serves as the nation’s leading source of agricultural
and food law research and information. The NALC works with producers, state and federal
policymakers, Congressional staffers, attorneys, land grant universities, and many
others to provide objective, nonpartisan agricultural and food law research and information
to the nation’s agricultural community.
The NALC is a unit of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and
works in close partnership with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Agricultural
Library.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen
agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption
of best practices. The Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work
within the nation’s historic land grant education system through the Agricultural
Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas
System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal
access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to
participate or need materials in another format, please contact dviguet@uark.edu as
soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
# # #
Media contact:
Drew Viguet
Communications & Special Projects Coordinator
National Agricultural Law Center
dviguet@uark.edu