The deadline draws near to raise concerns over the U.S Department of Labor’s proposed changes to “youth labor” rules.  Comments are due Dec. 1.

At face value, it looks like if you have a family farm, you’ll be exempt. However, if the family farm is incorporated, you’re not exempt if someone other than the child’s parents own stock. Our concern is that these rule changes will reach further than we might even know. The proposed regulations also don’t take into account the many faces of modern family farms. Not everyone fits the government’s traditional definition of family farms; today’s family farming operations might be grandparents and grandchildren or uncle and aunts, nieces and nephews.

We hope you – as well as your family members and friends – will contact the Department of Labor and let them know how detrimental these changes would be to your family.  To submit comments, click here and reference RIN 1235-AA06.

Click here to hear more.

For additional background information on the proposed rule changes, see these blog posts:

1. Comment by Dec. 1 on how proposed changes to “child labor” regulations would impact your farm: http://bit.ly/ueDC92
2. Farm cores help build character & work ethic. If you agree, please contact the Department of Labor by Dec 1: http://bit.ly/uCEp0X
3. FFA & 4-H projects could be affected by proposed “child labor” rules: http://bit.ly/uCEp0X
4. Child labor? Oh, please! Every day is “bring your child to work day” on the farm.” http://bit.ly/rWd2My
5. Teen Farm Labor is Vital in Rural Areas: http://bit.ly/t5j65s
6. Proposed “child labor” rules include gray areas. Help common sense (aka “grey matter”) prevail. Take a look: http://bit.ly/tU2qMw

Over the course of a week, our family has posted a series of blog articles related to the Department of Labor’s proposed changes the types of work youth can do on a farm.  Our intent is to increase awareness of this issue and to create dialogue.

The Lathams are sharing their thoughts and concerns over how our particular operation could be impacted in hopes that other families will do the same.  We don’t have law degrees nor are we interested in advising people on how to conduct their own business.  We understand that each family farming operation has its own unique set of circumstances, and that’s why we’re encouraging farmers to take a closer look at RIN 1235-AA06 to see how their individual operations might be impacted.

While some rule proponents have pointed out there is an exemption for “parents,” this is a grey area.  Even youth who work for their parents might not be exempt if their farm is part of a limited liability company (LLC) or trust that includes more than one owner who isn’t a parent.  As written, the proposed rules extend the parental exemption to others acting on behalf of a parent but it does not specify “legal guardian.”

We believe the proposed laws include all sorts of gray areas and would like to see common sense (a.k.a. the use of “grey matter”) prevail.  Take a closer look and see what questions you have about the proposed regulations; then be sure to ask for answers from the Department of Labor (DOL).  When contacting the DOL, be specific about your questions.  Also be specific about when commenting on how your operation would be impacted by the proposed rule changes.

Let’s keep this issue “top of mind” within the agricultural community, so that it doesn’t get brushed under the proverbial rug when the nation’s attention turns to hosting holiday gatherings at the week’s end.  The U.S. Department of Labor needs to hear potential impacts their proposed regulations could have on real-life farm families.

Consider making “child labor” a topic of conversation at your family’s dinner table this Thanksgiving.  After all, the comments are due by Dec. 1.  Click here to submit your comments online. To submit written comments, reference RIN 1235-AA06 in your letter and mail it to:

The Wage and Hour Division
U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-3502
200 Constitution Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20210

Audio: Shannon Latham Talking about the Proposed Child Labor Law

Other related blog posts:

1. Comment by Dec. 1 on how proposed changes to “child labor” regulations would impact your farm: http://bit.ly/ueDC92
2. Farm cores help build character & work ethic. If you agree, please contact the Department of Labor by Dec 1: http://bit.ly/uCEp0X
3. FFA & 4-H projects could be affected by proposed “child labor” rules: http://bit.ly/uCEp0X (http://bit.ly/w4pBxk)
4. Child labor?  Oh, please!  Every day is “bring your child to work day” on the farm.” http://bit.ly/rWd2My
5. Teen Farm Labor is Vital in Rural Areas: http://bit.ly/t5j65s

Picking up rocks, baling and detasseling provide the lion’s share of summer employment opportunities for pre-teens and teens in the Upper Midwest.  Such jobs are a boon to the youths’ bank accounts and also help provide them with valuable work experience, plus they help fill a need that farmers and agribusiness owners have to get these jobs done usually within a limited window of time.

As the owner of a family seed business, I’m greatly concerned about the impacts and implications of the U.S. Department of Labor’s proposed changes.  These rules, if enacted, would prohibit youth from working on a farm or ranch that is not directly owned by their parents – you’re not exempt if your family farm is structured as an LLC or incorporated – as farm hands under the age or 16 would be prohibited from working in cultivation or harvesting crops.

More than 100,000 individuals are employed each growing season to detassel hybrid seed corn in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas and Washington.  Literally hundreds of thousands of workers are needed at one time because the detasseling season is only two to four weeks long.  The living, breathing nature of corn plants means that crews only have a limited amount of time to get the job done during critical production stages.

Detasseling is a necessity when producing commercial seed corn.  While detasseling machines are used, they don’t remove each and every tassel.  It’s literally a hands-on job to ensure all unwanted tassels are removed, which allows for cross-pollination between designated male and female plants.  Cross-pollination, rather than self-pollination, leads to hybrid vigor and also can be attributed to higher yields needed to feed a rapidly growing world population.

Because detasseling is a such a necessary task and is admittedly hard work, it pays quite well.  Detasslers are paid by experience, ranging from more than minimum wage to $20 per hour for experienced workers.  The national median pay is $9.64 per hour, making it one of the better-paying summer jobs for teenagers.  The thousands of dollars a teen makes during one season goes a long way toward buying designer jeans, gaming systems and filling the gas tank.

What else can kids living in rural communities – yes, even those who live in town – get paid this kind of money for summer employment if they’re not allowed to provide farm labor?  There are only so many lifeguards and grocery store workers needed here.  (Click here to see the HUGE economic impact agriculture has on Franklin County alone.)  Plus, the workforce is limited in rural areas like Franklin County, Iowa, where about 20% of the population is of retirement age.  With such a small pool of applicants, who will supply the necessary labor in these rural areas if teenagers are prohibited from working?

If your family or your business would be impacted by the proposed “child labor” rule changes, please take the time to make your voice heard.  Click here to submit your comments online.  To submit written comments, reference RIN 1235-AA06 in your letter and mail it to:

The Wage and Hour Division
U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-3502
200 Constitution Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C.  20210

RELATED POSTS

• Child Labor? Oh Please. Let’s Just Call it What it Really is!
• Proposed “Child Labor” Rules Could Short-Change Kids
• Comment by Dec. 1 on Impacts of “Child Labor” (Part I)

The derecho and severe wind that moved across much of Iowa on July 11 made the news across much of the Midwest through late summer.  There was no denying the extent of storm damage this fall as many farmers made painstaking slow progress across their fields, using reels to limit harvest losses from downed corn.  That’s not surprising.

What is surprising, however, is to learn that there were actually 20 wind events of 75 knots (86.4 mph) or above across Iowa in the month of July.  Here’s how the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) describes such forceful winds:

High winds were only part of the story.  Farmers across Latham Country were also plagued by flooding, extremely hot last-summer temperatures, a lack of rainfall and an early frost.  When you consider all of the growing challenges, it’s no wonder many people are saying their 2011 crop was better than expected.
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Select a territory in the map below to view a region’s most recent crop report, provided by Latham’s regional sales managers.

Recently the U.S. Department of Labor proposed revisions that would prohibit children younger than 16 from operating power-driven equipment and those under the age of 18 from working livestock.  Proponents say the proposed rules are to protect children, according to a Globe Gazette article, as well as to make agriculture and non-agriculture “child labor” provisions similar.

Child Labor brings to mind images of enslaved children working in sweatshops in Third World countries.  It doesn’t conjure images – like the ones pictured here – of children who grow up with an appreciation of caring for animals and knowing how to produce the world’s safest food supply.

As a former 4-H and FFA member, I understand firsthand how every day is “bring your child to work day” on the farm.  More information is caught rather than taught as young children walk in their parents’, grandparents’, aunts’ and uncles’ shadows as they learn from doing.

I started bottle feeding lambs as soon as I was big enough to help and learned the importance of putting others’ well being ahead of your own.  After all, we couldn’t eat until our chores were done!  I literally counted down the days until I could show my first lamb at the county fair, and in short fashion, I learned the importance of genetics and good breeding.  For the next 10 years, my family and I worked to improve the quality of our herd.

My parents and I traipsed through snowdrifts in the dark to check on ewes about to lamb.  They allowed me to help with vaccinations, too.  It was my job to fill the syringe, and when I got older, I was able to give the injections.  I also became quite handy with the bander, although I never quite mastered the hoof trimmer!

Our flock allowed my parents and I ro spend lots of time together, plus I made so many great friends through our shared 4-H and FFA experiences.  Many of my 4-H and FFA friends and acquaintances remain business contacts and industry associates today.

As a result of these experiences, I learned to accept responsibility at an early age and gained a sense of accomplishment at the end of a job well done.  Farm chores helped build my character and helped me develop a strong work ethic.  I also earned FFA proficiency awards, as well as state 4-H awards for agricultural careers and sheep production.  Is it any wonder that I would want the same for my children?

My children started fourth grade this fall and are now eligible to become full-fledged 4-H members.  We’ve purchased an acreage where they can keep their 4-H livestock projects, as well as raise pumpkins.  My hope is that they’ll learn the value of a dollar and be less inclined to buy a myriad of video games when they think about how many pumpkins or how many lambs they have to sell in order to purchase just one gaming system or video game.

Our hopes could be dashed, however, if the proposed changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act are enacted.  In the name of safety, my budding entrepreneurs and aspiring 4-H members won’t have the same opportunities as I had to achieve that same sense of accomplishment.  The U.S. Department of Labor’s proposed changes would prohibit children younger than 18 from working with animals.  They’d also be prohibited from working for a L.L.C. or any top of legal family farming entity.

Please learn more about how your family or the structure of your family’s farming operation could be impacted by the proposed changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act.  Then take the time to make your voice heard. To submit written comments, reference RIN 1235-AA06 in your letter and mail it to:

The Wage and Hour Division
U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-3502
200 Constitution Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C.  20210

Click here to submit your comments online.