CPRI: Research Briefs

Crop Protection Research Institute Research Briefs are a regular series of papers that discuss aspects of pesticide use and pest management in United States crop production. These briefs are designed to be educational and accessible and address topics of timely import and general interest.

Research Brief #1: Why California Organic Growers Want an Exemption from a Farm Worker Protection Rule
On October 8, 2004 the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board adopted an emergency regulation banning unnecessary hand weeding of crops by agricultural workers because of the substantial risk of back injury incurred while hand weeding. This emergency regulation is to be followed with a permanent rule. Certified organic growers are exempted from the rule.

The Crop Protection Research Institute has prepared an analysis of the California hand weeding ban’s exemption for organic agriculture which, for the first time, quantifies the amount of hand weeding that organic growers use and the economic benefits that accrue to organic growers as a result of the exemption. The study calculates the economic benefits to organic growers of the hand weeding exemption as $24 million with the utilization of 775,000 hours of hand weeding exempted from the rulemaking.

Why California Organic Growers Want an Exemption from a Farm Worker Protection Rule (PDF) 1-19-05

Press Release: Why California Organic Growers Want an Exemption from a Farm Worker Protection Rule (PDF) 1-19-05

Reference #4. Bolgenholm, Vanessa, The Use and Importance of Handweeding in Organic Farming, letter to Jose H. Millan, Deputy Secretary, Enforcement, California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, 2004.

Research Brief #2: The Outsourcing of Organic Crop Production
Much has been written recently about the “outsourcing” of United States jobs to foreign countries due to lower labor costs abroad. Millions of jobs in textile manufacturing and in computer systems have moved off shore resulting in increased importation of foreign goods and services. U.S. labor rates are often cited as being ten times higher than the wages in most developing countries. It should come as no surprise that the production of organic crops is also being outsourced to countries such as Mexico, where the cost of farm labor is $1-2/hour.

CPRI's Research Brief #2 discusses the factors that limit domestic organic production and facilitate increased importation of organic crops. One of the major factors is the organic prohibition on herbicide use for weed control. Without herbicides, organic growers need to use a substantial amount of labor for killing weeds. This labor is much less expensive on organic farms in Mexico.

The Outsourcing of Organic Crop Production (PDF) 1-19-05