Proposed Adverse Effect Wage Rates Announced
Dr. Bonalyn Nelsen, Business Management Specialist
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
On November 20, 2024, the U.S.D.A.'s Farm Labor Survey was released with the new Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWR) for 2025. The rates in nearly every state saw year over year increases, while Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin saw modest wage rate decreases. New rates are expected to go into effect on January 1, 2025, for all states except Alaska. The 2025 AEWR for New York and selected fruit-producing states are listed below.
2025YoY AEWR Change for Select Fruit-producing States (in dollars)
State 2024 AEWR 2025 AEWR Change (YoY)
California 19.75 19.97 +.22
Michigan 18.50 18.15 -.35
New York 17.80 18.83 +1.03
Pennsylvania 17.20 17.96 +.76
Virginia 15.81 16.16 +.35
Washington 19.25 19.82 +.57
The AEWR is determined using the U.S.D.A. Farm Labor Survey (FLS), a survey distributed to farmers and ranchers in 18 regions in the U.S. (excluding Alaska). This survey is intended to prevent wages from being depressed by the employment of temporary, seasonal (H-2A) farmworkers in addition to domestic farmworkers. The survey asks employers to report (1) total gross earnings paid during specified reference weeks (in January, April, July and October) and (2) total hours worked during the reference week. Dividing total gross farmworker earnings (#1) by total hours worked (#2) produces an hourly wage estimate, from which the AEWR is calculated using a weighted average.
New York State's AEWR has risen $ 7.57 between 2015-2025. A number of factors may have caused the AEWR to rise, including supply and demand pressures, low response rates to the FLS, and the possibility that respondents did not fill surveys out correctly. If you're asked to complete the FLS, it's important to follow instructions closely to avoid incorrectly reporting gross worker earnings and total hours worked; doing so can cause the AEWR to rise above local labor market wage rates.
Apples
Apricots
Asian Pears
Blueberries
Cherries
Currants
Gooseberries
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Raspberries / Blackberries
Strawberries
Unusual Fruit
Upcoming Events
Cornell Statewide Pink Meeting
April 21, 2026
Join us for a statewide pink zoom meeting covering key topics including crop load, frost risk, disease, and insect management, followed by Q&A; the session will be recorded and shared on both programs' YouTube channels.
2026 Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meetings
April 30, 2026 : Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meeting 1
Webster, NY
The Twilight Meetings are a series of monthly meetings, where we examine seasonal changes in tree fruit and berry crop phenology, discuss and demonstrate scouting and monitoring for insects and diseases, and provide integrated pest management solutions to maximize the health and productivity of berry and tree fruit plantings.
Please arrive at 6pm for pizza and soda. This year Twilight meetings will begin and end 30minutes earlier than last year!
May 28, 2026 : Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meeting 2
Oswego, NY
The Twilight Meetings are a series of monthly meetings, where we examine seasonal changes in tree fruit and berry crop phenology, discuss and demonstrate scouting and monitoring for insects and diseases, and provide integrated pest management solutions to maximize the health and productivity of berry and tree fruit plantings.
Please arrive at 6pm for pizza and soda. This year Twilight meetings will begin and end 30minutes earlier than last year!
June 25, 2026 : Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meeting 3
Medina, NY
The Twilight Meetings are a series of monthly meetings, where we examine seasonal changes in tree fruit and berry crop phenology, discuss and demonstrate scouting and monitoring for insects and diseases, and provide integrated pest management solutions to maximize the health and productivity of berry and tree fruit plantings.
Please arrive at 6pm for pizza and soda. This year Twilight meetings will begin and end 30minutes earlier than last year!
2026 Virtual Orchard Meetup Series
February 27, 2026 : Session 1 - The Impacts of Weather on Pome Fruit Quality and Storability: Lessons Learned
The Impacts of Weather on Pome Fruit Quality and Storability: Lessons from 2025 - The first meetup will be conducted live on Friday, February 27, 2026, at 10:30pm (PST)/1:30pm (EST). The webinar will last 90 minutes. The format will include brief presentations by two SPARC scientists, followed by a packer/grower panel of industry leaders across North America. The meetup will conclude with an open discussion in a very inclusive virtual format. Viewers are invited to share solutions, ask questions, and interact with scientists and panelists. The program is free of charge.
June 11, 2026 : Session 2
Details to follow.
June 18, 2026
Details to follow.
June 25, 2026 : Session 4
Details to follow.