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. 2. 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:
Agricultural activity in the state has not changed significantly from the previous years. The top five labor-intensive crops are hay, vegetables, apples, strawberries, and raspberries. The months of heavy activity are June - October and the geographic areas of prime activity are Franklin, Addison, Orleans, Windsor, and Rutland counties.
Agricultural employers are primarily hiring locally, but still face significant labor force shortages. Vermont, overall, has seen a labor force decline over the last decade and our aging workforce does not yield as many able-bodied agricultural laborers as it once did. There has been an increase in interest and need for foreign labor in recent years. As the State's policies continue to support small, diversified farms, local economies, and value-added food products, there will continue to be a need for year-round and seasonal agricultural workers.