November 2024 - 46

AG LABOR REVIEW
Elections have consequences
W
e have heard that elections have consequences
before but rarely, as I write this column less
than three months out from the 2024 general
election, have those consequences been so elusive to
discern for agricultural employers.
Employers recognize that since inauguration day
2021, this administration has unleashed a tsunami of
new regulations on the people who feed and clothe our
nation. The regulations have come fast and furious with
literally thousands of pages of new requirements foisted
upon farm and ranch families.
I was doing an interview with a reporter last week and
I was trying to drive this very point home for his article.
I noted that when I was in college, I tried to take on the
reading of Leo Tolstoy's epic novel War and Peace. As I
recall, it was awful just trying to keep all the characters
straight in its 1,200 pages. And the Russian's style of
writing didn't really rivet my attention either.
The reporter was amazed when I shared that in just
the past 24 months, American agricultural employers
have witnessed about three times as many pages of new
labor regulations as there are pages in Tolstoy's tome.
And more new regulations, including a new one on heat,
are on their way.
Election impacts on ag labor
Obviously, agricultural labor has not been lacking in laws
or regulations derived from those laws. Unfortunately,
those in political power believe that agriculture has
been in a deficit. Instead of developing regulations that
have some underpinning in economic reality, most of the
thousands of pages issued are bereft of that necessity.
It is almost as if the issuers of these regulations have
fallen into the very trap that Aldo Leopold wrote of in
A Sand County Almanac when he said, " There are two
spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger
of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and
the other that heat comes from the furnace. "
While this administration has been coming up
with regulations, more than 100 appointees from its
predecessor have been developing a new plan to increase
46 | NOVEMBER 2024

http://specialtygrowers.org/everything-local-2025

November 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2024

Editor's Letter
Tomato farming success
Mesotunnels impact
Great Lakes EXPO: Unlocking farm potential
Great Lakes EXPO Schedule
Hydroponics
Seed Variety Showcase
Organic Grower
40 Under Forty Fresh Views
Veg Connections
Farm Market & Agritourism
Ag Labor Review
Classifieds
Advertiser Index
November 2024 - 1
November 2024 - 2
November 2024 - 3
November 2024 - Editor's Letter
November 2024 - 5
November 2024 - Tomato farming success
November 2024 - 7
November 2024 - 8
November 2024 - Mesotunnels impact
November 2024 - 10
November 2024 - Great Lakes EXPO: Unlocking farm potential
November 2024 - Great Lakes EXPO Schedule
November 2024 - 13
November 2024 - Hydroponics
November 2024 - 15
November 2024 - 16
November 2024 - 17
November 2024 - 18
November 2024 - Seed Variety Showcase
November 2024 - 20
November 2024 - 21
November 2024 - 22
November 2024 - 23
November 2024 - 24
November 2024 - 25
November 2024 - 26
November 2024 - 27
November 2024 - 28
November 2024 - 29
November 2024 - 30
November 2024 - 31
November 2024 - 32
November 2024 - 33
November 2024 - 34
November 2024 - Organic Grower
November 2024 - 36
November 2024 - 37
November 2024 - 38
November 2024 - 39
November 2024 - 40 Under Forty Fresh Views
November 2024 - 41
November 2024 - Veg Connections
November 2024 - 43
November 2024 - Farm Market & Agritourism
November 2024 - 45
November 2024 - Ag Labor Review
November 2024 - 47
November 2024 - Classifieds
November 2024 - 49
November 2024 - Advertiser Index
November 2024 - 51
November 2024 - 52
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyers-guide-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-october-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/vgn-digital-seed-guide-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyers-guide-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-august
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/vgn-digital-seed-guide-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyers-guide-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/seedguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/seedguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/october-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/october-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2019
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