Youth Ag Labor: Reps Tell DOL 'Don't Even Think About It'

By CnAgri2012-08-01 19:45:35 Print

Farm kids and farm families across the state and nation are praising this week's passage of H.R. 4157, the Preserving America's Family Farms Act, in the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation verifies that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) cannot move forward its previously proposed rule--or a similar rule--limiting the ability of children to work on family farms.

In April, DOL announced it was withdrawing a proposed rule that, among other things, would have prevented young people from working on a farm not solely owned by their parents and prohibited them from completing routine farm chores such as feeding cattle. H.R. 4157 aims to make sure the DOL does not reconsider its actions.

"The Labor Department's proposed rule struck a chord with farmers and legislators across Michigan, and many took it personally," said Ryan Findlay, Michigan Farm Bureau national legislative counsel. "There's renewed respect for the work farmers do, and people--from all aspects of society--are saying they value the work ethic that young people learn from working on farms. H.R. 4157 is a reflection of this outpouring and helps relieve some of the anxiety that still lingers."

"The Preserving America's Family Farms Act provides farm kids and farm families with this assurance and helps relieve some of the anxiety that still lingers."

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) was among a large contingency of agricultural organizations that sent a letter to the House urging legislators to support the bill.

While the safety of all workers remains a No. 1 priority, regulations introduced last year by the Labor Department "took caution beyond recognition," the groups said in their letter.

According to the letter, "The proposed regulations were overly burdensome to agriculture producers and would have limited, if not eliminated, training opportunities for youth in rural America. Fortunately, the administration listened to the concerns of farmers and ranchers by withdrawing the regulation in April. However, the threat to family farms still exists.

"While we all respect the obligations and responsibilities of DOL to ensure the safety of youth working on farms, we believe that the approaches taken need to be well reasoned and not detrimental to the family farm or the youth participating in farm work."

H.R. 4157 protects against these threats by preserving the ability of youth to gain training and education by working on the farms, the organizations said. It also protects an agricultural way of life from future child labor regulations that could limit the ability of youth to learn valuable skills by working on the farm.

AFBF continues to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agricultural organizations on agricultural safety programs.