New rule requires Ohio farmers to upgrade migrant housing

Aug 22, 2016

Regulation goes into effect Jan. 1, 2017

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

Beginning in January 2017, new regulations in Ohio will require farmers to make improvements to migrant worker camps.

The rule was instituted by Ohio’s Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review. Some of the included improvements are sinks with hot and cold water in existing buildings, the installation of smoke detectors and the requirement that non-flush toilets be emptied and cleaned weekly.

According to the Toledo Blade, farm owners will have five years to make sure migrant worker camps have hot and cold running water. It’s estimated to cost about $500 per unit to install a sink for hand washing.

Washing Hands
Getty

The Common Sense Initiative, which is associated with the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, wrote in an analysis that the regulations will benefit the health of migrant workers.

“Washing hands before and after you eat, use the restroom, [and] prepare food prevents the spread of disease. People are much more likely to practice good hand washing when facilities are readily available,” the analysis says, according to The Blade. “Running water in a housing unit where you are sleeping and eating is a basic necessity for human habitation."

According to the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission, there are 104 agricultural labor camps in the state.

Eugenio Mollo, an attorney at Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, told The Blade that keeping migrant workers healthy and happy can help farmers.

“It’s not good for the overall agriculture industry if there isn’t an adequate labor supply to do the farm work,” he said. “And this makes sure our food is being harvested with the highest level of food safety in mind.”

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.