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.
Upcoming Events
Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Course Yates County
December 18, 2024
Penn Yan, NY
Fruit and vegetable growers and others interested in learning about produce safety as well as growers who are covered by the FSMA Produce Safety Rule or who anticipate being covered in the future should consider taking this course.
The PSA Grower Training Course is one way to satisfy the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirement outlined in ยง 112.22(c) that requires 'At least one supervisor or responsible party for your farm must have successfully completed food safety training at least equivalent to that received under standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by the Food and Drug Administration.'
From Seed to Success: Turn Your Idea into an Actionable Plan
January 7, 2025 : Session 1: The 30,000-foot view, what are you trying to accomplish? What resources do you have?
Unit 1: Introduction to Business Planning and the Business Plan (Liz Higgins)
- Session 1: The 30,000-foot view, what are you trying to accomplish? What resources do you have?
January 14, 2025 : Session 2: Introduction to Project Management
Unit 1: Introduction to Business Planning and the Business Plan (Liz Higgins)
- Session 2: Introduction to Project Management
January 21, 2025 : Session 3: How Business Planning Becomes a Business Plan
Unit 1: Introduction to Business Planning and the Business Plan (Liz Higgins)
- Session 3: How Business Planning Becomes a Business Plan
January 28, 2025 : Session 4: Your Market and Your Competition
Unit 2: Developing a Marketing Plan for Your Farm (Bonnie Nelsen)
Session 4: Your Market and Your Competition
February 4, 2025 : Session 5: Revenue and Product Mix to Achieve Your Goals
Unit 2: Developing a Marketing Plan for Your Farm (Bonnie Nelsen)
- Session 5: Revenue and Product Mix to Achieve Your Goals
February 11, 2025 : Session 6: Marketing Plan and Evaluation of Marketing Efforts
Unit 2: Developing a Marketing Plan for Your Farm (Bonnie Nelsen)
- Session 6: Marketing Plan and Evaluation of Marketing Efforts
February 18, 2025 : Session 7: The Basics of Financial Statements
Unit 3: Developing a Financial Plan for Your Farm Business (Steve Hadcock)
- Session 7: The Basics of Financial Statements
February 25, 2025 : Session 8: Enhancing Confidence in Your Numbers
Unit 3: Developing a Financial Plan for Your Farm Business (Steve Hadcock)
- Session 8: Enhancing Confidence in Your Numbers
March 4, 2025 : Session 9: Using Financial Statements and Financial Information to Plan and Evaluate an Enterprise
Unit 3: Developing a Financial Plan for Your Farm Business (Steve Hadcock)
- Session 9: Using Financial Statements and Financial Information to Plan and Evaluate an Enterprise
Electric Weeding in Organic Perennial Crops
January 14, 2025
Join us for a free webinar on electric weeding in organic perennial crops.