Farmworkers and subpar living conditions
Across the country, farmworkers, who perform the menial jobs that sustain the billion-dollar agriculture and food companies, often endure subpar housing.
An Investigate Midwest review of inspections found violations across the Midwest that included mold, rodent infestations, and showers with no hot water. Other violations included a lack of toilet paper and soap provided to workers.
An entire regulatory apparatus, enforced by the federal government, exists to inspect housing for farmworkers on guest, or H2A, visas. No such system exists for migrant or domestic farmworkers, resulting in patchwork oversight among Midwestern states, according to an Investigate Midwest review of state regulations.
— Johnathan Hettinger, reporter
In the Midwest, state oversight has forced some employers to provide better housing to migrant farmworkers. But regulations remain spotty. | Sky Chadde and Johnathan Hettinger, Investigate Midwest
While oversight of H2A farmworker housing is enforced by the federal government, migrant farmworker housing is state jurisdiction. Some Midwestern states inspect twice — others not at all. Not all migrant or domestic farmworkers live in employer-provided housing — the kind that needs to be inspected — while working, but many, especially in the Midwest, do, according to federal surveys.
Read more.
This story was supported by a grant from the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting.
Editor’s note: Investigate Midwest is continuing to report on farmworker housing across the Midwest and the country. As part of the project, we're requesting inspection records in each state.
To send us a tip or ideas about farmworker housing you think should be covered, contact our reporters at sky.chadde@investigatemidwest.org (pictured) or jhettinger@investigatemidwest.org, or find ways to contact us securely here.
Column: The most impactful ag story of 2022 | Dave Dickey
Whew … what a year. If you closely follow ag doings you know there's plenty to talk about. If not, well let me get you caught up, writes Dave Dickey in his latest column. He looks at the most impactful story of the year in agriculture and offers his three runners-up.
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Year-end campaign update: 140+ donations!
Here's a quick update on our year-end giving campaign. We are delighted to share that more than 140 donations have been given since Nov. 1 in support of Investigate Midwest. Our donors rock!
We are fortunate to be part of NewsMatch, a national program that doubles individual donations up to $1,000 through Dec. 31. All individual donations up to $15,000 will be doubled. As of Wednesday, we have $2,256 to go. We are so close to our goal!
Every dollar you give supports our public service journalism focused on agribusiness. Read the story at the top of today's newsletter for an example of the in-depth, independent work we produce. We strive to give voice to the voiceless and vulnerable — like farmworkers.
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— Mary Ungs-Sogaard, Donor Relations Manager
