Farm Labor Housing

Farm Labor Housing. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

A new housing project is getting underway to provide clean, comfortable accommodations for farm workers according to Washington Farm Bureau’s Director of Employer Services, Dan Fazio.

FAZIO: This is a culmination of a several year effort by a broad coalition of people from the private and public sector and the driving motivation is that people shouldn’t live in their cars when they’re coming up here to pick fruit for American’s.

This housing promises to be different than any kind of farm worker housing you may have seen in the past.

FAZIO: It’s a garden apartment setting we’re building out in Ringold. Land was sold by the Bureau of Reclamation to the Franklin Country Farm Bureau and the Washington Farm Labor Association is going to build housing, 96 beds for farm workers and then a nice house; and 1800 sq. ft. house for a permanent caretaker to live on the property.

Fazio says that it will operate just the same as a motel.

FAZIO: The idea of the apartments is the worker can have a clean, safe, comfortable bed for under $10 bucks a night; it’s just like a motel. The farmer that employs the people can reserve rooms in advance. There will be a certain number that we’ll have up for reservation or a farm worker can drive in and say I’d like a room for the night just like the Hilton or the Motel 6.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.