Farm workers harvesting tomatoes in Florida make $42 a day on average and work a 16 hour day, this is about $2.60 an hour. My dad, owns his own farm and works 14 hour days, and makes about double that an hour, alowoing for his farm expenses.

Why the comparison? Last night, we saw the film, Food Chains. Learning about the disparity for the farmworkers was revolting. In Napa Valley, farmworkers sleep outside in self-constructed makeshift dwellings due to high rent in the valley. They do this if they cannot find suitable housing which involves driving for 2 hours to work. Suitable is 15 people per building with few bedrooms. These homeless, hard workers pluck grapes for vineyards that sell wine for hundreds of dollars each. Rather than summarize the film here, I encourage you to see it.

Viewing this film allowed Glen and I (both farm kids whose parents still work/live on farms) to see similarities of these farmworkers and our parents. Both work hard outside everyday, not meandering around to see what needs to be done, but rather moving fast from one job to the next and running into problems along the way. They sacrifice their comfort to the elements depending on the sason - heat and humidity, wind and rain, snow and dampness. Neither control how much they are paid for their hard work. Yet the industry their toil supports makes billions of dollars and nourishes our nation.

Dad going for a different tool as he and Grandpa fix the corn planters.  Circa 1965. — Dad going for a different tool as he and Grandpa fix the corn planters. Circa 1965.

Why? For the farmworkers in California and Florida, Food Chains explains that there are four mighty Supermarkets who control the wages of the farm workers.

For our parents, the Chicago Board of Trade decides the price of corn or soybeans, dependant upon the crop yields and market needs. In the end, its investors who are making money from the hard work of our parents. Investors that never face the dark mornings of frigid cold or the intense humidity midday midfield.

What can I do in my own power to fight this? For the Farmworker, I can begin by supporting Fair Food, a campaign to create Fair Food agreements with food retailers as a first step. At almost 80, my dad works like a man 1/3 his age and loves his work. He doesn't need to fight for him, but I can embrace farming in my own urban setting.