Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Wagner-Peyser Program (Employment Services)
All Program-Specific Requirements provided for the WIOA core programs in this section must be addressed for either a Unified or Combined State Plan.
- e. Agricultural Outreach Plan (aop). Each State Agency Must Develop an Aop Every Four Years as Part of the Unified or Combined State Plan Required Under Sections 102 or 103 of WIOA. the Aop Must Include--
- 1. Assessment of NeedProvide an assessment of the unique needs of farmworkers in the area based on past and projected agricultural and farmworker activity in the State. Such needs may include but are not limited to: employment, training, and housing.
- 1. Assessment of Need
- e. Agricultural Outreach Plan (aop). Each State Agency Must Develop an Aop Every Four Years as Part of the Unified or Combined State Plan Required Under Sections 102 or 103 of WIOA. the Aop Must Include--
e. 1. A. An Assessment of the Agricultural Activity in the State Means: 1) Identifying the Top Five Labor-intensive Crops, the Months of Heavy Activity, and the Geographic Area of Prime Activity; 2) Summarize the Agricultural Employers’ Needs in the State (i.e. Are They Predominantly Hiring Local or Foreign Workers, Are They Expressing That There is a Scarcity in the Agricultural Workforce); and 3) Identifying Any Economic, Natural, or Other Factors That Are Affecting Agriculture in the State or Any Projected Factors That Will Affect Agriculture in the State.
Current Narrative:
According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the agricultural industry in Florida employs approximately two million people and contributes more than $104 billion to the state’s economy. An estimated 47,600 commercial farms in Florida produce nearly 300 different commodities on 9.5 million acres. Florida is the nation’s leading citrus producer, accounting for 59 percent of the total U.S. production in the 2013–2014 citrus season. During the season, Florida farmworkers were responsible for harvesting 515,147 acres of citrus trees. The state’s citrus production dropped by 21 percent from the previous season; however total U.S. citrus production also dropped by 15 percent. Florida is also ranked first for sales of a number of vegetable and specialty crops. Farmworkers harvested approximately 200,600 acres of vegetable crops, strawberries, blueberries, potatoes, and watermelons during the 2014 season and 412,000 acres of sugarcane. Cash receipts for all agricultural products totaled $8.45 billion in 2013. Crop commodities, such as greenhouse/nursery, oranges, sugarcane, and tomatoes, accounted for 76.7 percent of these total cash receipts.
According to USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Florida Field Office, 2015 Annual Statistical Bulletin, some pre–harvest activities such as planting, transplanting, tying, staking and pruning are also performed by farmworkers, as well as post–harvest activities such as packing and juice processing. Nursery, citrus, vegetables, and sugarcane comprise Florida’s major agricultural commodities. Broken down, nursery is the major crop activity, followed by citrus with oranges leading the way, then grapefruit and other specialty fruits (tangerines, tangelos, etc.). Tomatoes lead the way in vegetable production followed by green peppers, snap beans, sweet corn, cucumbers, squash, and cabbage. Other special commodities include strawberries, blueberries, watermelons, and potatoes.
Although Florida’s citrus acreage has been steadily declining, 12,343 acres of new citrus plantings were reported in the past year. This is the most recorded in a single season since 2009, according to an article published in Citrus Industry. The blueberry industry in Florida has grown significantly over the years. Florida’s climate allows for an earlier blueberry season than the rest of the country, which means during this time the market is available almost exclusively to Florida growers.
The following is a breakdown of Florida’s top major labor–intensive crop activity during the 2014–2015 season, per data gathered internally from local career centers and from external partner agencies.
Figure 7.01
Florida’s Top Major Labor–Intensive Crop Activity
| CROP | Usual Harvesting Begin | Usual HarvestingMost Active | PRIMARY GEOGRAPHICAL AREA OF ACTIVITY | LABOR POOL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oranges | Mid–September | September – June | Polk, Highlands, DeSoto, Hendry, Hardee, Collier, Manatee, Lake, St. Lucie, Martin, Hillsborough, Pasco, Osceola, Indian River, Lee, Charlotte, Glades, Orange, Okeechobee | 50,000 |
| Grapefruit | September | September – June | Indian River, St. Lucie, Polk, Hendry, Highlands, Osceola, Charlotte, Collier, Lake, Okeechobee | 10,000 |
| Specialty Citrus | June | June – April | Polk, Lake, Highlands, Hendry, Charlotte, Hardee, St. Lucie, Collier, De Soto, Indian River, Hillsborough, Lee | 6,000` |
| Tomatoes | Mid–October | November – June | Manatee, Collier, Hillsborough, Miami–Dade, Palm Beach, Hendry, Gadsden, Hamilton, Jackson | 9,500 |
| Blueberries | March | March – May | Polk, Alachua, Hardee, Hamilton, Levy | 7,000 |
| Strawberries | Mid–December | February – March | Hillsborough, Manatee, Hardee, Miami–Dade | 5,000 |
| Snap Beans | Mid–October | November – April | Miami–Dade, Palm Beach, Suwannee, Hendry, Alachua, Jackson | 5,000 |
| Bell Peppers | Mid–October | November – May | Palm Beach, Collier, Hillsborough, Manatee | 5,000 |
| Sugarcane | November | November – February | Palm Beach, Hendry, Glades, Martin | 3,500 |
| Watermelons | April | May – June | Hendry, Levy, Gilchrist, Highlands, Collier, Suwannee, DeSoto, Alachua, Manatee, Marion, Hardee, Jackson, Sumter, Lake, Gadsden, Washington | 3,500 |
| Sweet Corn | Mid–September | November – June | Palm Beach, Miami–Dade, Hendry, Suwannee, Hamilton | 3,100 |
| Potatoes | Mid–December | February – May | St. Johns, Putnam, Flagler, Okeechobee, Suwannee | 2,800 |
| Squash | September | November – May | Miami–Dade, Collier, Lee, Hillsborough, Gadsden, Jackson, Suwannee | 2,500 |
| Cabbage | Mid–October | January – April | Flagler, St. Johns, Palm Beach, Manatee, Putnam | 1,500 |
| Cucumbers | Mid–September | November – April | Manatee, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Collier, Hardee, Hendry, Miami–Dade, Levy | 1,500 |
| Tomatillos | April | April – July & September – November | Collier (November – March), Manatee, Gadsden, Jackson | 500 |
| Eggplants | April | April – July & September – November | Collier (November – March), Manatee, Gadsden, Jackson | 500 |
Plant nurseries and ferneries are also important commodities to Florida’s agricultural industry. According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, Florida has the second largest nursery industry in the country, after California. There are an estimated 100,000 farmworkers employed in plant nurseries and ferneries throughout the state. Additionally, an estimated 2,000 or more farmworkers are employed in sod farming for commercial sale. The nursery commodity is increasing and although many workers are employed year–round, this workforce is important to quantify for purposes of determining housing, education and social service needs of the farmworker population.
Citrus greening disease continues to affect the citrus industry and is a major factor in the decline of production. Although it is too early for a forecast, there are no major changes expected in other crop production for the 2015–2016 picking season, unless affected by natural disasters and extreme temperatures. The agriculture labor pool in general is expected to be slightly lower this year, evidenced by trends from previous seasons and an increase in the number of employers using the H–2A Temporary Non–immigrant Agricultural Worker Visa Program. Traditionally it has been predominately the citrus employers who have hired H–2A foreign workers because of a lack of local workers willing to harvest the crop. However, employers of crops that have not seen such shortages of labor in the past are now joining the H–2A Program, such as strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes and watermelons. In these cases, the employers’ main concern is having a stable workforce.