Seasonal Requirements for Labor in American Agriculture

Excerpts from the report: Agriculture in the United States is a highly seasonal occupation and the requirements for labor on farms vary greatly according to the farming operations performed during each period of the year. This seasonal variation in the amount of labor required is significant on the majority of farms even though agriculture has a large labor force directly attached to it which is for the most part resident on the farm and available throughout the year. Seasonal increases in the amount of labor needed are met by a more intensive application of effort by the family and hired labor already on farms and by the employment of additional hired labor. Types of farming, described according to the principal crops grown or livestock products produced, have been regionalized and mapped by the Department of Agriculture. For nine of the major regions a calendar of operations has been prepared and is given in Figure 1. The United States total of seasonal labor needs is shown in the first chart of Figure 2. Also given in Figure 2, as an illustration of the differences between regions, are the patterns for the corn, cotton, and small grain regions. The accompanying map, "Periods of Peak Seasonal Labor Requirements in Agriculture in the United States," presents a generalized description of seasonal labor needs, regionalized according to type-of-farming areas.