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
2025 Apple Social
July 17, 2025 : Wayne County - Apple Social
Please join us at this casual networking event for all apple industry folks from Western NY, proudly sponsored by Valent. There will be a brief introduction of the Lake Ontario Fruit Program, and from attending specialists.
July 24, 2025 : Orleans County - Apple Social
Lyndonville, NY
Please join us at this casual networking event for all apple industry folks from Western NY, proudly sponsored by Valent. There will be a brief introduction of the Lake Ontario Fruit Program, and from attending specialists.
2025 Cornell In-Depth Fruit School Recordings
April 8, 2025
July 31, 2025
: Recording Available for 2025 Cornell In-Depth Fruit School
Access to the 2025 Cornell In-Depth Fruit School recordings are now available for purchase.
3rd Annual Western NY Fruit Growers Tour, Featuring Wayne County
July 31, 2025
Registration open!
We are excited to announce the 3rd annual Western New York Fruit Grower Tour, the premier fruit tour of the northeast brought to you by Cornell Cooperative Extension's Lake Ontario Fruit Program and Lake Ontario Ag Consulting, LLC! Located in Wayne County, this orchard field day will highlight new and existing products, chemistries, practices, technologies & equipment that shape the orchard industry today. The Western NY Fruit Grower Tour will again combine two past orchard tour events, the LOF Summer Fruit Tour and the Wayne County Fruit Grower Tour, giving industry members the opportunity to conveniently showcase their product offerings to ONE unified group at ONE time and place!
* Schedule subject to change.