University of California College of Agriculture Agricultural Experiment Station Berkeley, California SEASONAL LABOR N'^DS FOR CALIFORNIA CROPS YUBA COUNTY Progress Report No, 58 by R. L. Adams Preliminary — Subject to Correction January, 1937 Contribution from the Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics Mimeographed Report No. 53 (Farm Labor Survey -- July-Deceicber , 1936) Progress Report No. 58 Seasonal Labor Needs for California Crops Yuba County Scope of Presentation .-- The following considerations govern the presenta- tion of this progress report: 1, The data are confined to the area indicated above. 2. The data are confined solely to crops, livestock needs being ignored. 3. The findings apply only to occasional or seasonal labor requirements as distinguished from labor contributed by farm operators and by workers employed on a year-round or regular basis of employment. 4. Attention is concentrated upon workers required for hand tasks — plant- ing, thinning, weeding, hoeing, and harvesting -- without including teacsters, tractor drivers, irrigators, and shed packers of vegetables or fruits. 5. The presentation includes the so-called migratory, transient, or roving workers which comprise an important source of help needed in connection with certain tasks and at "peak" times which seasonally arise in connection with many field, truck, and fruit crops commercially produced in California. 6. This report is confined to California's need for seasonal agricultural workers because of the more pressing problems liable to arise in connection there- with. A later study is olanned which will deal with other kinds of labor involved in the production of California's many crops. Brief Description of the Area .-- Yuba County is located in the northeastern part of California, its eastern boundary which separates it from Sierra County being about 50 miles from the Nevada state line. It lies in the eastern part of the Sacramento Valley, about 40 miles from Sacrajr.ento. The Feather River divides it from Sutter County on the west, while Butte County bounds it on the north and Nevada County on the south. The county has an are? of 404,480 acres, of which 98,435 acres are classified as available for crops by the United States Census of 1935. Further classification is as follows: Acreage Crop land harvested 42,927 Crop failure 652 Crop land idle or fallow 17,856 Plowable pasture 57,000 Total land available for crops 98,435 The orincipal agricultural area composes a more or less continuous section contiguous to the Feather River. This area commences at the junction of the Feather and Bear rivers and extends northeast about 35 miles to include Brown's Valley on the north side of the Yuba River. It is about 10 miles wide. The area is devoted, quite extensively, to berries, deciduous fruits, and granes while about one-fourth of the acreage is in irrigated field crops. The soil is not deep enough for alfalfa, howevfr. 2. Crops. Acreages, and Production .-- The basis used in calculating occasional or seasonal need for labor, other than that furnished by farm operators f.nd regu- larly employed workers, appears as table 1. TABLE 1 Basis for Calculating Seasonal Labor Requirements Yuba County Crop Field crops;* Alfalfa t Grain -- barley oats wheat Grain sorghums "t Hay — grain volunteer, etc. Hops i= Rice Vetch seed i" Seed crops: T (beet , carrot, lettuce) Vegetable crops: Tl Peas -- spring + Tomatoes -- canning Fruit and nut crops: II Almonds Apples "i" Apricots Cherries -- Royal Ann other varieties Figs Filberts + Nectarines Olives Oranges "t" Peaches -- Tuscan Phillips other varieties freestone Pears (mostly Bartlett) Persimmons T Plums f Prunes (mostly French) Walnuts Grapes -- table and raisinl" .juice varieties Acreage 2,540 10,698 3,317 5,460 302 3,154 1,829 546 . 1,763 100 163 50 260 185.3 9.7 63.0 28.3) 84.2) 266.1 8.0 136.9 888.4 5.3 112.0) 809.7) 1,736.2) 81.7 848.8 1,681.6 315.0 99.6 186.5 Production 11,316 tons 224,826 bushels = 107,916 cwt. 76,060 bushels = 24,340 cwt. 76,710 bushels = 46,026 cwt. 5,381 bushels 4,718 tons 2,487 tons 3,609 bales of 190 pounds net ^ 61,810 bushels 2,080 tons 36 tons 250 tons fresh weight, dried 4 (45 tons barrelled (80 tons shipped east 150 tons (dry weight) 500 tons shipped (38 cars) (421.5 tons for canning (195.5 tons not for canning** (20,150 tons canned 22,050 tons (1,900 tons (fresh ( weight) dried 290 tons (165 tons shipped (l25 tons (fresh weight) dried) 6,600 tons (2,600 tons canned (1,300 tons dried (2,700 tons shipr'ed east 35 tons (canning varieties) 2,500 tons (dry weight) 143,100 pounds (118,800 pounds ( merchantable "ff (24,300 pounds culls ( (estimated) Footnotes to table 1. * Acreage and production of field crops are from United States Census of 1935 with the exception of hops and vetch seed. ■f- Acreage or production of these crops is so small that use of seasonal labor is inconsequential and hence ignored, -f- Data on hopsarefrom Irving S. Harks, Sacramento, The following drying ratios have been used in this report: Hops 4 to 1 Apricots 5 to 1 Prunes 2,5 to 1 *T| Acreage of vegetable crops is from Federal State Crop Reporting Service for year 1935. l| Acreage of fruit and nut crops is from H. A, Crane, Agricultural Commissioner, Yuba County, and includes bearing acrea^'e only. ** Olive production estitrated by California Olive Association. 1"tWalnut production is for 1935 crop, as reported by Walnut Control Board. Operations Requiring Seasonal Labor and Time of Need .-- Farir operations requiring the use of seasonal or occasional labor for the various crops raised in Yuba County are indicated in table 2. This tabulation does not include the employing of shed workers needed to v/ash, pack, and prepare various commodities for shipping and marketing. TABLE 2 Operations Requiring Use of Seasonal Labor and Times of Needs by Crops Yuba County Crop Operation Time of need Per cent of work done by seasonal help Output maR-day Field crops: Grain Threshing -- with combine June 1-30 -- 50 per cent of acreage July 1-31 — 50 per cent of acreage > 80 5 acres Hay, other than alfalfa Mowing Raking Shocking May 1-31 -- all of job May 1-31 -- all of job May 1-31 — all of job 50 50 50 8 acres 16 acres 30 acres Hops Pruning, stringing, etc . March 1-31 — 50 per cent of job April 1-30 -- 50 ner cent of job ^ > 100 Total of 6 man-days per acre Table continued on next page. • 4 Table £ continued. 4. Crop Field crops: Hops (cent.) Rice Vegetable crops Tomatoes — canning Fruit and nut crops : Aloonds Apricots Operation Training Picking Drying Baling Push heading and swathing Threshing -- with pick-up combine Picking Knocking bulling Picking Cutting for drying Time of need Per cent of work done by seasonal help May 7-31 — 2/3 of job June 1-15 1/3 of job August 10-31 -- 2/3 of crop September 1-10 -- 1/3 of crop August 10-31 — 2/3 of crop" September 1-10 -- 1/3 of crop September 10-30 all of crop September 15-30 -- 25 per cent of acreage October 1-31 -- 75 per cent of acreage September 23-30 — 15 per cent of acreage October 1-31 — 70 per cent of acreage November 1-7 — 15 per cent of acreage August 15-31 — 20 per cent of crop September 1-30 — 40 per cent of crop October 1-31 — 40 per cent of crop August 1-31 -- 30 per cent of crop September 1-30 -- 70 per cent of crop August 1-31 — 30 per cent of crop September 1-30 -- 70 per cent of crop June 5-30 — 80 par cent of crop July 1-5 — 20 per cent of crop June 5-30 SO per cent of job July 1-10 — 20 per cent of job 100 100 75 60 50 50 100 100 50 100 100 Output per man- day Total of 6 man- days per acre 200 pounds green weight 4,000 pounds green weight 15 bales of 190 pounds dry weight 13 acres 125 cwt. (or 3 acres) 2,000 pounds 150 pounds 400 pounds 1 , 200 pounds 1 ,000 pounds Table continued on next page. 5. Table 2 continued. Crop Operation Time of need Per cent of. work done by- seasonal help Output per man-day Fruit and nut crops (cont.): Apricots (cont. ) Cherries Figs — ■ Adriatic Nectarines Olives Other dry yard labor Picking for shipping Picking for barrelling Picking up Dipping, sulfuring, and other dry yard labor Sorting Pruning Thinning Picking Picking for pickling Picking for oil, etc. June 5-30 of job July 1-10 of job May 1-31 - of job June 1-10 of job May 15-31 of job June 1-10 of job September cent of October 1- of crop September cent of October 1- of job September cent of October 1- cent of November - acreage December - acreage January -- acreage February - acreage May 1-31 - July 1-20 - 75 per cent - 25 per cent 75 per cent - 25 per cent ■ 60 per cent ■ 40 per cent 1-30 -- 80 per cent crop • 7 20 per 1-30 — 80 per job •7 -- 20 per cent 13-30 job ■19 -- 50 per job 50 per i ■- 25 per cent of -- 25 per cent of • 25 per cent of 25 per cent of ^ ■- all of acreage — all of crop October 1-31 -- 50 per cent of job November 1-30 -- 50 per cent of job December -- 1/3 of job January — 1/3 of job February — l/3 of job 100 100 100 100 100 80 100 100 90 90 11 hours per fresh ton* 100 pounds 200 pounds 600 pounds dry weight 33 hours per dry ton 975 pounds in 8 hours 0.25 acre 0,17 acre 1,000- pounds 200 pounds 400 pounds Table continued on next page 6. Table 2 continued. Per cent of Orop On P V* A 1" "1 AKi Tirje of need work done by oer seasonal help man- dav Fruit and nut crops [ cont . ) : Peaches -- Pruning November — 25 per cent freestone of acreage and cling- December -- 25 per cent stone of acreage January -- 25 per cent ^ 80 of acreage February -- 25 per cent of acreage Brush burning November -- 25 per cent of acreage December -- 25 per cent of acreage January -- 25 per cent > 50 of acreage February -- 25 per cent of acreage ^ Spraying November -- 50 per cent of acreage December — 50 per cent of acreage February 50 per cent > 75 1 » cD acre s of acreage March -- 50 per cent of May 1-31 -- all of ncreaEe Thinning April 25-30 -- 5 per cent OX dUI cci^jC: Hay 1-31 — 85 per cent of 100 L . J. ' cLcre June 1-30 -- 10 per cent of acreage Picking and July 15-31 — 1 per cent grading -- of crop clingstone August 1-31 -- 62 per varieties cent of crop ^ 100 2 , 000 pounds September 1-15 -- 37 per cent of crop ^ Picking -- July 20-31 -- 25 per cent"" freestone of crop varieties August 1-31 -- 75 per cent > 100 c. , UUO pounds of crop — Cutting for August 1-31 — 70 per centT" drying — of job 1 , 000 poun ds clingstone September 1-15 -- 30 per ^ 100 varieties cent of job _J Cutting for July 20-31 -- 25 per cent'"' drying -- of job 1 , 500 poands freestone August 1-31 -- 75 per cent 100 varieties of job Table continue^ on next page. 7. Table 2 continued. Crop Operation Tine of need Per cent of work done by seasonal help Output per man-day Fruit and nut crops ( cent . ) : Peaches (;ont. ) Pears Prunes Other dry yard labor -- clingstone and freestone Pruning Brush burning Picking Cutting for drying Other dry yard labor Pruning -- 25 per cent of acreage July 20-31 — 1 per cent of job August 1-31 -- 59 per cent of job September 1-20 -- 40 per cent of job November -- 25 per cent of acreage December 25 per cent of acreage January -- 25 per cent of f acreage February -- 25 per cent of acreage - November -- 25 per cent of acreage December -- 25 per cent of acreage January — 25 per cent of acreage February -- 25 ner cent of acreage July 1-31 -- 50 per cent of crop 50 per cent 40 per cent 60 per cent August 1-25 of crop July 10-31 of job August 1-31 of job July 10-31 — 30 per cent of job August 1-31 -- 60 per cent of job September 1-15 — 10 per cent of job ^ November -- 25 per cent of acreage December — 25 per cent of acreage January -- 25 per cent of acreage February -- 25 per cent of acreage 100 100 50 100 100 100 100 11.5 hours per fresh ton* 0,1 acre 2.5 acres 1,500 pounds 1,000 pounds 26.5 hours per fresh ton* 0.5 acre Tal le continued on next page. 8. Table 2 continued. Crop Operation Time of need Per cent cf v'ork done by seasonal help OutDUt per man-day Fruit and nut crops (cont. ) Prunes (cont. V/alnuts Brush burning 25 per cent of 25 per cent of Picking up Dipping and drying by dehydrator - 60 per cent of crop Dipping and drying by sun -- 40 per cent of crop Knocking and picking up November - acreage December - acreage January -- 25 per cent of acreage February -- 25 per cent of acreage August 1-31 -- 25 per cent of crop Seoteccber 1-30 -- 75 per cent of croD August 1-31 -- 25 per cent of job Septer:ber 1-30 -- 75 per cent of job August 1-31 -- 20 per cent of job September 1-30 80 per cent of job September 24-30 -- 15 per cent of crop October 1-31 -- 75 per cent of crop November 1-15 -- 10 per cent of crop 50 100 80 80 > 100 2.5 acres 1 ton 6 man-hours per fresh ton 8.3 rran- hours per fresh ton* 200 pounds • From Christie, A. W. and L. C. Barnard. The principles and practice of sun-drying fruit. California Agr. Exp, Sta. Bui. 388:40-60. 1925. t From Christie, A. W. revised by P. F. Nichols, The dehydration of crunes. California Agr. ^xp. Sta. Bui. 404:7. 192S. Findings of Seasonal Labor Needs .-- Details and sumiraries of seasonal labor requirements of Yuba County agriculture are presented as table 3. The "size of task" are figures drawn from table 1, in terms of either acreage or output in tons, crates, boxes, or whatever unit is commonly used. The "outnut per man-day" is an average figure for the entire acreage or output figured in crates, hampers, boxes, or other units as indicated in the table. If the work is of a nature that requires a crew different members of which perform different tasks, then the average shov/n is per man based on the entire crew. Length of day is 9 hours, November to Febru- ary; 10 hours, March to October, unless otherwise stated. Vi/ide variations in output occur between farm and farm, field and field, and season and season, because of differences in soil types, climatic conditions, weeds, yields, and other factors influencing the amount of work that a laborer can perform in a given day, f'oreover, the basis of output is a mature, experienced male worker without reference to use r of women, children, and more or less inexperienced help that is sometinies used in connection with certain of the tasks requiring use of seasonal workers. The column headed "available days" reflects (a) limitations set from the period within which the work must be performed because of the nature of the task, such as transplanting, thinning, weeding, and cutting, and (b) available days as determined by weather conditions, inclement weather reducing the number of days \iihen a required task can be performed. The "required number of individuals" is given in terms of workers as noted above in connection with " output per man-day." It is probable that the estimated number of workers required, as recorded in table 3, will often be too tow, for the reason that "peaks" frequently occur, dur- ing which an unusually large proportion of the job is done in a very short period. This would naturally require a much greater number of workers than when the work is spread over a longer period, even though the total amount of labor (in man-days) remains the same. TABLE 3 Seasonal Labor Needs — Yuba County — by Months and Tasks Output per Required 1 Available Required number Month Crop and task Size of task man- day man -days days of workers* January Nectarines: Pruning 27 acres 0.25 acre 108 18 5 Olives: Picking for oil, etc. 59 tons + 0.2 ton 295 18 17 Peaches (clingstone and freestone): Pruning 548 acres + 0.25 acre 2,192 18 122 Brush burning 342 acres f 2,5 acres 137 18 8 Pears: Pruning 212 acres 0.1 acre 2,120 18 118 Brush burning 106 acres ■}- 2.5 acres 43 18 3 Prunes: Pruning 105 acres 0.5 acre 210 18 12 Brush burning 52 acresi" 2.5 acres 21 18 2 Tot al uuxpux per 1 ii V a. J. X d X d Rfcouired number Month Crop and tasic oize oi uasK rv> O VI C Tr C7 Iiiciri — Uctj of wor.ke rs * September Peaches (clingstone): Fic'^ing and (Sept. 1-15) (contd . ; grading 1,544 tons 1.0 ton 1 , 544 13 119 Cutting for drying d70 tons 0^5 ton 1 , 140 13 88 (Sept. 1-15) (clingstone and freestone): (Sept. 1-20) Other dry yard labor 810 tons ft J/ 932 17 55 Pears: Other dry yard labor 130 tons "fl 1/ 345 13 27 (Sept. 1-15) Prunes: Picking up 3,937 tons 1 .0 ton 3,937 26 152 Dipping and drying by dehydra- tor 1,890 tonsf?^- II 1 , 134 26 44 Dipping and drying by sun 1,680 tons^fit li 1 , 395 26 54 (Sept. 24-30) Walnuts: Knocking and picking up 21,465 pounds 200 pounds TOO 108 r- 5 22 Totals- Li , 469