12/1/06 Higher Wages

Higher wages. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. The states of Oregon and Washington generally pay their agricultural workers higher than the rest of the United States, according to newly released statistics. The myth that Oregon agricultural workers are generally low paid doesn`t square with the facts, according to analyst Brent Searle of the Oregon Department of Agriculture: SEARLE: The latest survey that was conducted in October has the Pacific region- Oregon and Washington- averaging $10.85 per hour for all hired farm workers, which is the highest of any region in the United States. One reason for the high ranking has to do with Washington and Oregon having the highest minimum wage in the nation. Another is the diversity of agricultural production: SEARLE: Following California, we`re probably one of the most diverse areas of the country in terms of the types of things we grow. A lot of those are specialty crops that require a lot of labor, hand labor. Cultivation and harvest of vegetables, tree fruits, berries, wine grapes, and nursery products depend on specialized skills. Oregon farmers and ranchers are willing to pay for those skills. The number of on-farm employees in Oregon ranges from about 30-thousand in the winter months to more than 90-thousand during peak harvest seasons. The latest U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics show that Oregon Ag workers are generally paid fairly well and compare favorably with those in other states. Searle says the diversity and specialization of Oregon commodities requires a skilled workforce, which partially accounts for the relatively good pay in agriculture. SEARLE: The fruits, the berries, the vegetables, the types of things we grow require a lot of skills and specialty. We`re seeing more of that in the wine grapes, the specialty pruning required. One of the other things is the nursery industry here- one of our largest sectors, very big employer. Wages there tend to be pretty high. Searle says the latest statistics confirm Oregon as one of the nation`s leaders in on-farm employee compensation. SEARLE: The industry is clearly paying for good employees doing good work for the type of work they are doing. Compared to the rest of the country and clearly the rest of our neighbors in terms of international, we`re paying very top wages. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.