mn-press-releases
                            MINNESOTA AG NEWS

USDA, NASS                                 MN Dept of Agriculture
MINNESOTA FIELD OFFICE                     PO Box 7068, St. Paul, MN 55107
Douglas Hartwig, Director                  Phone: (651) 296-2230
Homepage: http://www.nass.usda.gov/mn/     E-mail: nass-mn@nass.usda.gov
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                               FARM LABOR
                    Released:  February 20, 2009

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Hired Workers Up 7.5 Percent in Lake Region; Wage Rates Down 70 Cents from
One Year Ago

Lake Region:  There were 43,000 hired workers on farms in the Lake Region
(Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin) the week of January 11-17, 2009,
according to the USDA, NASS, Minnesota Field Office.  Farm operators paid
their hired workers an average wage rate of $11.02 per hour during the
January 2009 survey week, down 70 cents from January 2008.  The number of
hours worked averaged 34.0 for hired workers during the survey week,
compared with 33.1 hours in January 2008.  During the 2009 reference week,
Minnesota - part of the Lake Region - experienced what the National Weather
Service Forecast Office described as a vigorous cold snap. Temperatures
that ranged from 15 to more than 30 degrees below average were observed and
many areas did not see any days at or above freezing.

United States:  There were 785,000 employed workers on the Nation’s farms
and ranches during the week of January 11-17, up 2 percent from a year
ago.  Of these workers, 595,000 were hired directly by farm operators.
Agricultural service employees on farms and ranches made up the remaining
190,000 workers.  Weather events in the Pacific, Delta, Southern Plains,
and Mountain III regions each increased the demand for field workers.  Farm
operators paid their hired workers an average wage of $10.93 per hour
during the January 2009 reference week, up 12 cents from a year earlier.
The number of hours worked averaged 38.3 hours for hired workers during the
survey week, down fractionally from a year ago.


          WORKERS ON FARMS, HOURS WORKED PER WEEK, AND WAGE RATES FOR ALL HIRED WORKERS,

                       LAKE REGION AND UNITED STATES, JANUARY 2009
                              Lake Region 1/                      United States 2/
                                                                 
                          January      October    January    January    October    January
                         6-12/2008   12-18/2008  11-17/2009 6-12/2008  12-18/2008 11-17/2009
                                                                
                                                1,000 Workers
Workers on Farms
    Hired Workers 3/          40         66         43         594        804        595
                                               Hours Per Week
Hours Worked
    Hired Workers 3/        33.1       36.2       34.0        38.4       41.4       38.3
                                              Dollars Per Hour
Workers By Work Type
Field                      10.93      11.43      10.83        9.67      10.05       9.96
Livestock                  10.67      10.20       9.96       10.18      10.21      10.27
Field & Livestock          10.75      11.00      10.20        9.88      10.09      10.08
All Workers 3/             11.72      11.49      11.02       10.81      10.70      10.93

1/ Lake Region = Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
2/ Excludes Alaska.
3/ Excludes agricultural service workers.