A Community Conversation: Migrant Labor in NY
Broadcast August 25, 2009 on WSKG Radio

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Agriculture is big business in New York state, generating billions of dollars in revenue through different crop and dairy farms. But one fact that the average consumer may not be aware of is how much the agriculture industry relies on migrant workers to help harvest and process those crops. According to a factsheet from the BOCES Geneseo Migrant Center, approximately 47,000 migrant workers and their families come to New York state every year.

What role do migrant workers play in the agricultural industry in New York? What issues do they, and the farmers who hire them, face? Join host Crystal Sarakas for a discussion of these issues on our next Community Conversation.

Guests on tonight's program are: Mary Jo Dudley, Director of Cornell Farmworkers Program; Beverly Sirvent, Migrant Health Services Director for the Finger Lakes Migrant Health Care Project; and Chris Pawleski, onion farmer in Orange County, NY.