Labour

Nowadays, you often can't just walk into a greenhouse or food processing company. First, you have to pass a turnstile or go through a hygiene sluice to get disinfected, and then you can access the company. LETS has added a new product to their hygiene equipment line: a body temperature meter. This…

Three food processing plants in Mississippi, raided by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency last year, were found to have also paid workers below the minimum wage and one plant hired a child.

Food and drink brands, ranging from household names to scale-ups, are increasingly turning to a flexible workforce.

A table grape grower in Victoria says the COVID-19 pandemic has created a generation of "job hoppers" who are pushing for better conditions and pay, which is further compounding the labour shortage problems faced by the industry. Owner of Budou Farms, Enrique Rossi says he is finding workers who are…

Last week Stefan Vogrincic, a consultant at Grower2Grower, decided to time himself against an experienced greenhouse worker who was clipping cucumber plants using the tomsystem. He warmed up on a row before starting to time himself against the tomsystem. Approximately 30-50 cm of plant length required to be trained or attached…

For many horticultural businesses, the challenge of accessing reliable and affordable labour is one of their biggest concerns. In response, AHDB developed SmartHort, a programme to help growers make improvements to their labour efficiencies and to investigate new automation and technologies. As part of…

Ohio State University professor Chieri Kubota is focused on helping to resolve the production and training challenges facing controlled environment growers. Trying to produce vegetables in hot, humid conditions can be difficult for controlled environment growers whether growing in a greenhouse or a…

Around the world, growers have always found innovative ways to work smarter. Although processes and inputs can be stretch to the limit to maximize profits, human labor cannot, and it is becoming a devastating problem. The increasing worker shortage continues to make it difficult for farmers to get the…

To aid in establishing minimum requirements for employer-provided accommodations for the TFW Program across Canada, the federal government is inviting input from employers, workers, worker support groups, and other interested parties.

As a first step, the Government of Canada is seeking input until December 22, 2020 on proposed accommodation requirements in the TFW Program’s primary agriculture stream.

Farmers aim to decrease the use of herbicides. But, there is insufficient labor available in both conventional and organic farming to remove weeds and harvest by hand. Wageningen researchers develop self-learning robots that pull weeds and harvest with increasing skill. Since humans and robots will likely increasingly work…

Brett Heap is now the sad owner of rows of courgettes he couldn't get picked because his expert and specialised workforce can't get into the country. New Zealand is heading into peak harvest season and there aren't enough workers to get fruit off trees or vegetables from the ground. This year, Heap…

500Foods shared this story from FP.com. Around the world, growers have always found innovative ways to work smarter. Although processes and inputs can be stretch to the limit to maximize profits, human labor cannot, and it is becoming a devastating problem. The increasing worker shortage continues to make it difficult for farmers to get the…

IDM develops a machine for horizontal spraying in greenhouses. The crop protection is specially suggested for strawberry, nurseries and ornamental flower crops. It is a machine just 85 cm wide, with horizontal bars that open and stretch, making the treatment from top to bottom. “It is the best solution…

Rising labor costs and the move to greater automation remain driving forces in the horticulture industry, even amid the Covid-19 crisis. A recent industry survey highlighted these issues according to Javo USA, Inc. General Manager Michiel Vanderwaal. “The situation at the beginning of the year was very uncertain,“…

These days, one of the biggest costs for growers is associated with labour. It can be extremely difficult to accurately monitor workers and capture critical information when they are out in the field. Tie Up Farming has developed a full labour management module into its end-to-end software solution for…

Businesses that have been operating out of a non-business banking account can now access the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) by opening a business account.

According the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), this has been an important ask from farmers and will help ensure the financial strength of the thousands of small agricultural businesses across the country.

This follows the October 9 announcement of an intent to introduce major expansions to CEBA to increase the limit to $60,000, from $40,000, and double the non-repayable forgivable portion to $20,000, from $10,000. Those expanded amounts will be available soon.

Not counting the number of farmers who are now eligible because of the change announced today, AAFC estimates more than 85,000 farm businesses will have access to the interest-free loans of CEBA, which equates to up to $5.1 billion – one-third of which is forgivable.

“We strongly encourage farmers and food businesses who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to take advantage of the generous terms offered by the CEBA loans,” a statement from AAFC read.

Robotization has been a key development in the greenhouse industry in recent years. With the recent investment by Japanese car part giant DENSO, Dutch agtech company Certhon is well-positioned to play a big part in this development. At the GreenTech, Edwin Vanlaerhoven, head of business development at…

It is an indisputable fact that the world as we know it has changed. Working from home is the new normal; social gatherings and activities are drastically limited, and social distancing is required in all public spaces. by Janine Coppola This is a challenging time for businesses, especially for those where…

Migrant workers in Dutch agriculture are faced with poor, often abusive, labor conditions. That's in stark contrast to the sector's high economic productivity. That's according to researchers. They are from the Open Society European Policy Institute and the International Institute of Social Studies at…

It might sound counterintuitive, but COVID-19 led B.C.'s tree planters to have one of their "healthiest years ever," according to an industry representative.

The new season for New Zealand’s horticulture and wine growing industry has arrived. It is worth an estimated $9.5 billion to the country’s economy. Over the past decade, strong growth in export markets has led to widespread expansion of areas under planting and a shift towards more productive,…

It’s a misty morning near Salinas, California and the advanced.farm TX harvester—a lightweight, driverless tractor covered in canvas—is picking strawberries. Like a dot-matrix printer moving along a page, the harvester’s robotic hands move back and forth along the beds, scanning for signs of red. When it…

Mexican farm workers harvest celery in a field of Brawley, California, in the Imperial Valley, on January 31, 2017. Many of the farm workers expressed fears that they would not be able to continue working in the United States under the President Trump's administration.

A recently released report by EY details that the Australian fruit and vegetable industry is facing a workforce shortage of up to 26,000 people throughout the peak summer season. A shortage of workers will have a real impact on Australian consumers, with price increases and likely shortages of fruit and…

Ball’s Food Stores announced the certification of 100 employees by the American National Standards Institute and the Conference for Food Protection.  Ball’s Foods employees participated in an intensive, seven-hour training course focused on proper food handling, food preparation and food storage along with food safety and sanitation standards that are required by the FDA and USDA through the Food Safety Modernization Act.

After passing the certification test, department managers, store managers and senior leadership earned accreditation and a certificate from the National Registry of Food Safety Professionals. "The company is committed to ensuring all guests receive the best possible shopping experience in the safest environment," Gregg Frost, vice president of human resources for Ball’s Food. "Every Balls Price Chopper, Hen House Market, Balls Sun Fresh Market and Payless Discount Foods have at least one manager on duty during all hours of operation who are a Certified Food Protection Manager.”

Kansas City based Ball’s Food Stores operates 26 supermarkets under the Hen House Market, Price Chopper, Sun Fresh and Payless Discount Foods banners in Kansas City and surrounding markets.

Migrant workers pick Chardonnay grapes during the harvest at Hambledon Vineyard on October 3, 2018 in Hambledon, United Kingdom. Around 80 predominantly Eastern European workers have been brought in at Hambledon to pick a bumper crop of 250 tonnes of grapes this season, following a long and warm summer. As Brexit looms there is uncertainty for the British wine industry with much of the manufacturing equipment and labour currently imported from other European countries. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

Japan has the oldest population in the world, and that's causing an acute labor shortage. With almost a third of the population aged 65 and above, finding workers can be a challenge.

Migrant workers and advocates called for a "just recovery'' from the COVID-19 pandemic during a digital rally on Saturday based out of Vancouver.

Operators know how expensive it can be to install a suitable tutor system in greenhouses: there are strings and ties everywhere and it takes a long time.  Alessandro Avarino, administrator of SIA Sia Sicilia Group Srl, the company that patented the effective greenhouse tutor system  And what about the time needed…

Labor is a cornerstone of any industry, but in the fresh produce industry having enough labor at the right time is even more vital for the perishable fruits and vegetables to be harvested properly and brought onto retail shelves with enough time for consumers to purchase and enjoy them. Labor is,…