​COVID-19 in Rural America: Impact on Farms & Agricultural Workers

Note: NCFH typically relies on peer-reviewed research and government reports for its fact sheet series, but due to the urgent and constantly evolving nature of the pandemic, we have utilized reputable media sources as well. This fact sheet will be updated on a monthly basis.
Last updated: April 22, 2021
Click here to download the fact sheet as a PDF file. 
Impact of COVID-19 in Rural America
  • As of April 22, 2021, 99% of rural counties in America had reported positive COVID-19 cases and 97% had reported one or more deaths. More than 4.4 million rural residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and 88,538 deaths among rural Americans have been attributed to the disease.1

  • The current prevalent case rate in rural counties is 959.9 cases per 10,000 residents and the current death rate is 19.2 per 10,000 residents.1 The prevalent case rate is now higher in rural counties than urban counties.

  • Epidemiologists generally consider rural Americans more vulnerable to the pandemic than urban Americans. Higher proportions of elderly persons, higher smoking usage, higher prevalence of certain chronic diseases, and lower proportions of persons covered by health insurance contribute to this vulnerability.3,4

  • Emerging research is beginning to demonstrate stark disparities in the rate of COVID-19 cases and COVID-19-related deaths among people of color in the U.S., a pattern that has emerged in both urban and rural areas.5,6 A major factor in this disparity is likely due to the fact that a high proportion of essential workers are people of color and thus have greater risk of exposure.7

  • A lack of physicians and in-patient hospital beds is another major concern for rural areas that will experience a relatively high number of COVID-19 cases. Nearly half of rural hospitals operate in a financial deficit, and many hospitals have had to lay-off or temporarily furlough staff or completely close their doors due to the financial impact of the pandemic.1,8

  • Cases and deaths from COVID-19 have generally been higher in metropolitan areas of the U.S., but non-metropolitan areas of the U.S. have seen rapidly increasing numbers of cases and deaths, beginning in late April.9 As of April 2021, current hot spots (defined as highest number of cases in past week per capita) include Meager County, Montana; Terrell County, Texas; Ferry County Washington; Grant County, Oregon; and Coos County, New Hampshire, all counties without a major metropolitan area.10
 
Vaccines for Agricultural Workers
 
  • Agricultural workers face many barriers when seeking vaccination. Many do not have the transportation necessary to reach vaccination sites in cities or cannot get the time off from work. Some may not have access to the internet to sign up for a vaccine appointment. Additionally, language barriers and worries about immigration status create additional barriers to vaccination.12
 
  • Only California, Washington, and Oregon (3 out of the 5 states with the most farmworkers) have prioritized farmworkers ahead of the general population when it comes to vaccinations.13
 
 
COVID-Related Policies & Initiatives for Agricultural Workers
  • The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 devotes $3.6 billion, approximately 35% of total agricultural expenditures, for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to purchase and distribute food, and to make grants and loans for food processors and distributors and other entities to strengthen the agricultural and food supply chain. An additional $500 million of the funds are allotted for rural health care efforts including increasing vaccine distribution capacity, improving access to medical supplies, increasing telehealth capabilities, supporting COVID-19 related staffing needs, and providing nutrition assistance to vulnerable communities.14,15
 
  • Of the five states with the most farmworkers, only California and Oregon have established policies as of April 2021 in regards to vaccination clinics on worksites or in housing communities of farmworkers.13
 
  • Several state and county governments have implemented regulations, provided free testing, and started funding programs to support and protect agricultural workers during the pandemic.16–18  As of December 2020, only eleven states have issued some form of mandatory regulations for protecting agricultural workers from exposure to COVID-19 (California, Colorado, Michigan, New York, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin).19,20  
 
  • The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has a bilingual vaccine education campaign to encourage agricultural workers in Florida to get their COVID-19 vaccine. 21
 
  • In November 2020, the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration passed a temporary rule that will require employers to provide personal protective equipment (PPE), notify workers if a workplace exposure has occurred, provide training to workers, among other measures. Oregon is the third state to enact such measures, following Virginia and Michigan.20

  • Several states and counties have begun funding emergency quarantine housing for agricultural workers suffering from COVID-19. Other state and counties have added funds to pay for lost wages or assistance with bills for agricultural workers affected by COVID.22–24  California became the first state to approve an agricultural worker relief package, which will ensure paid sick leave, stricter enforcement of guidelines, and prioritize agricultural workers for COVID testing and PPE.25

  • A number of diverse coalitions to protect the health of farmworkers across the country have emerged. A coalition of growers, researchers, and advocates has coalesced in Monterey County, California, to create health and safety guidelines, obtain PPE for farmworkers, and increase access to testing and quarantine facilities.26 Some state governments, such as Maine and New York, have been proactively working with community health centers and local health care providers to provide testing for farmworkers and health and safety guidelines for the agricultural industry.27,28

  • In Oregon and California, grape growers’ and wine makers’ associations have come together with health care partners and farmworker-serving organizations to provide mobile testing services, PPE, and trainings to agricultural workers in grape-growing regions.29

  • Even though America’s agricultural workers have been classified as “critical infrastructure” workers (also known as essential workers), many still lack essential protections and benefits:
    • The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has not provided clear guidance on employers’ responsibility to provide PPE to employees to protect them from exposure to COVID-19.30 Even if clear guidance or a COVID-related standard was available, OSHA cannot conduct inspections or enforce health and safety standards on farms with 10 or fewer employees.31 OSHA recently revised their guidance, and now requires employers to record COVID-19 illnesses that cause the employee to seek medical care or miss one or more days of work and that may have been contracted at work.32

    • An estimated 49% of horticulture workers lack work authorization to work in the U.S.33 This means that at least half of all horticulture workers are not able to access unemployment benefits if they are laid off or furloughed.34 Undocumented workers were also not eligible to receive the federal stimulus money sent to families through the CARES Act.35 U.S. citizen spouses married to a spouse without a Social Security number are also ineligible, which may impact many agricultural worker households with mixed immigration status.
 
COVID-19 on American Farms & among Agricultural Workers
  • At the onset of the pandemic in April 2020, researchers from the University of Missouri estimated that U.S. farmers and ranchers would lose approximately $20 billion in revenue during 2020 due to the pandemic.36

  • Because of COVID outbreaks in over 700 meatpacking and food processing plants, U.S. beef and pork production declined by 40% in the summer of 2020.37 Produce processing plants have reported declines in production as well, and the U.S. apple industry has lost $174 million during the pandemic.38

  • Farm bankruptcies in the U.S. were up by 23% from March 2019 to March 2020, the third-highest level in the past two decades. 39 Total farm bankruptcies in 2020 were down 7% from 2019; however still high compared to the past decade.40 The Wisconsin Bankers Association is seeing fewer bankruptcies in 2021 than in 2020, which may be due to factors like increase of farm income and government assistance. This is significant because Wisconsin was the leading state with 48 farm bankruptcies in 2020.41 Seventy-four percent of the $10.4 billion funding from the Agricultural Provisions of American Rescue Act is going to pandemic response and debt forgiveness and the USDA temporarily suspended debt collections, foreclosures and other activities for certain farm borrowers.14,40

  • Mass layoffs of agricultural workers have been reported in various locations in order to meet social distancing guidelines, low product demand, and due to positive cases among a cohort of workers.42,43 Many workers fear testing for COVID-19 since a positive test may mean a permanent job loss.

  • Systemic barriers to testing, prevention measures, and medical care exist. OSHA has only provided guidance, rather than requirements for agricultural employers, some employers have refused to offer testing or threatened retaliation if workers do seek testing, and public health officials have often been resistant or reluctant to control or respond to COVID-19 outbreaks among agricultural workers.19 Research has also found that workers employed by farm labor contractors may be less likely to receive PPE from their employer.44

  • Research conducted with over 1,000 farmworkers in central California found current COVID-19 infection in 13% of the sample according to lab testing done from July – November 2020. Twenty percent of the 1,091 workers had antibodies for COVID-19.45

  • Research by the CDC found that Hispanic or Latino workers employed in food production or agriculture had a substantially higher prevalence of COVID-19 compared to non-Hispanic workers in those industries. Among the 31 states that reported data, only 37% of workers in those industries were Hispanic or Latino but they represented 73% of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases in the food processing and agriculture industries.46
 
  • Overcrowded and substandard housing conditions are a major concern for the potential of COVID-19 to spread through agricultural worker communities.47,48 A single building may house several dozen workers or more, who often sleep in dormitory-style quarters, making quarantining or social distancing efforts difficult if not impossible. Limited access to restrooms and sinks, at home and in the field, may complicate hygiene prevention efforts.49

  • Extremely low annual incomes and a widespread lack of access to health insurance may limit health care-seeking behaviors among agricultural workers, even if they are experiencing symptoms of an illness.33,50
 
  • Outbreaks on farms: Purdue University estimates that more than 565,000 agricultural workers have tested positive for COVID-19 nationwide, but this figure likely underestimates the number greatly since it excludes contracted and temporary labor.51 No comprehensive national or industry-wide testing or reporting of positive COVID cases among agricultural workers is being systematically conducted, but some case clusters among agricultural workers are being reported in the media. NCFH has compiled some of these outbreaks below, however this is not an inclusive list.

    • ARIZONA: Although the exact number of cases among farm workers in Yuma County, Arizona is not reported, 143 positive COVID-19 cases in the county have occurred in or near farm labor camps.52 Five female prison inmates employed on Hickman’s Family egg farm tested positive in June 2020.53
    • CALIFORNIA: As of September 2020, the largest outbreak on a single farm in California is on a poultry farm (Foster Farms) in Merced County, where at least 392 employees tested positive, and at least 8 workers died.54 Another large outbreak occurred on the Villa Las Brisas berry farm in Ventura County, where 201 H-2A workers tested positive.55 Ventura County also saw an outbreak among 28 H-2A workers who were employed in avocado and citrus orchards, and over 35 employees of Calavo Growers in Ventura County tested positive in early May 2020.56,57 In late July 2020, another outbreak among H-2A workers in Santa Barbara county occurred, with 91 workers testing positive, one of whom died.58 Twelve additional H-2A workers employed by Rancho Nuevo Harvesting in Santa Barbara county also tested positive.57 As of October 2020, a total of 1,180 agricultural workers in Santa Barbara County tested positive.59 A reported 247 agricultural workers in Monterey County, California tested positive for the virus.60 Other outbreaks among farmworkers are being reported in California among fruit and vegetable packing house workers.61 One hundred and fifty employees of a pistachio farm in Wasco, California and 65 of their family members tested positive, triggering a strike from other employees who learned of the outbreak through local news.62–64 The rural Lake County also had an outbreak where 25 farmworkers tested positive in June 2020.65 At least 60 agricultural workers residing in Solano County and working in Sonoma and Napa vineyards have tested positive.66 Sonoma County has reported 12 outbreaks on farms in the county, resulting in 347 cases among agricultural workers.67 In San Joaquin County, 102 workers tested positive for the virus.68 Guillermo Gomez, a 39-year-old farmworker from Orange Cove, died from COVID-19 after a six week battle with the disease.69
    • COLORADO: At least 11 employees of a mushroom farm in Alamosa County tested positive for coronavirus.70 A potato farm and processing facility in Rio Grande County had 13 employees test positive in late May 2020, and another potato farm in the same county had 25 positive employees.71 A greenhouse operation in Weld County had 14 staff test positive in early May 2020.71
    • FLORIDA: During a reported outbreak in North Central Florida in June 2020, 91 out of 100 tested H-2A farmworkers tested positive for COVID-19. The workers were housed with six to ten people per motel room and most returned to harvesting watermelons the morning after testing.72 As of mid-June 2020, Florida is experiencing large outbreaks among farmworkers, although media reporting has been limited. In the farm labor community of Immokalee, more than 1,000 positive cases have been documented in recent weeks and the area has one of the highest infection rates in the state.73 A 17-year-old female migrant farmworker from Immokalee, Florida nearly died from COVID-19 while working in Georgia.74 A reported COVID-19 death of an Immokalee farmworker was reported in May 2020, but the employer has denied any cases on his farm and has called the pandemic a “hoax”.75 In mid-July 2020, over 20 employees of Costa Farms in the Miami-Dade area reportedly tested positive.76
    • GEORGIA: An outbreak among agricultural workers has been reported in Echols County, where 58 of 73 tested persons were found positive for COVID-19.77 Echols County now has the highest case rate in Georgia, with over 4,000 cases per 100,000 residents. Lanier County saw a tripling of case numbers in a single day after 59 farmworkers tested positive in mid-June 2020.78 On June 23rd, 2020, the first death of a migratory farmworker from Georgia was reported in the media.79
    • ILLINOIS: In early July 2020, 100 COVID-19 cases had been reported among agricultural workers employed in northern Illinois on different farms.80
    • MAINE: Small outbreaks of 3-10 workers have started occurring in late July and early August 2020 on blueberry farms.81 In December 2020, 13 workers tested positive on Flood Brothers Farm, a dairy farm in Clinton.82
    • MICHIGAN: A multi-county outbreak occurred in late April 2020 due to a COVID-19 cluster on a poultry farm in Ionia County. At least fifteen farm employees tested positive, and health department officials traced a total of 84 cases in five different counties to the original poultry farm cases.83,84 Oceana County  reported an outbreak among 216 farmworkers and the workers’ contacts.85 A single farm in Branch County had 57 workers, primarily working with H-2A visas, tested positive in late June 2020.86 Several case clusters have been reported on farms in Missaukee County in late July 2020, but the number of cases has not been released.87
    • MISSOURI: Thirteen out of 60 workers tested positive for the virus on a hog farm in Audrain County, Missouri.88
    • NEW JERSEY: Fifty-nine agricultural workers in Upper Pittsgrove Township, New Jersey tested positive for coronavirus, over half of the town’s seasonal agricultural labor force.89 More than 50 farm workers on a specialty crop farm in Gloucester County, New Jersey tested for coronavirus as of late May 2020.90 A total of over 400 farm workers have tested positive in the state of New Jersey, and at least 2 workers have died from the disease.91
    • NEW YORK: A large outbreak of COVID-19 occurred in Madison County, New York, where 169 workers from a single farm tested positive for coronavirus. Public health officials raised concerns about a lack of isolation procedures during transportation to and from the farm and in the workers’ sleeping quarters.92 OSHA is conducting an investigation at the farm.93
    • NORTH CAROLINA: In early July 2020, the total number of positive cases of agricultural workers residing in camps in the state was 17794 Bottomley Evergreens & Farms in Alleghany County has now reported the largest outbreak on a farm in the state, with 112 positive cases as of August 18th, 2020.95 Other large outbreaks have occurred in the state in August 2020, with 46 positive cases in Macon County, 31 cases in Greene County, and 27 cases in Wilson County, all occurring on farms with shared worker housing.95
    • OHIO: A cluster outbreak with an unknown number of workers have been reported on two farms in Canton and Holmes counties.96 In Champaign County, 50 workers on a single farm tested positive in July and August 2020.97
    • OREGON: Three separate outbreaks have occurred at Townsend Farms in 2020, with one outbreak occurring in April with 51 workers who tested positive, and a second outbreak occurring in May with 56 workers who tested positive, and a third outbreak in June, affecting 22 workers.98 According to the Oregon Health Authority, an additional 263 agricultural workers and their close contacts tested positive for COVID due to workplace outbreaks with five or more cases since the start of the pandemic.99 Klamath County authorities reported a new outbreak of 59 positive agricultural workers in October 2020.100
    • TENNESSEE: Nearly 200 farm employees on a single farm in Rhea County, Tennessee tested positive for COVID-19 in late May 2020. 100% of the employees on the farm tested positive.101 Thirty-eight out of 119 employees tested positive in late May 2020 on a single strawberry farm in Unicoi County, and in early June 2020 a second farm in the county reported that 10 of their workers had tested positive.102,103 On a mushroom farm in Loudon County, 74 employees tested positive out of the nearly 300 tested so far.104
    • TEXAS: According to the Centro de Trabajadores Agricolas Fronterizos, four farmworkers tested positive for COVID-19 in late May 2020, and one of them died from the disease.105 An H-2A guestworker named Marco Antonio Galvan Gomez died from COVID-19 a few weeks after arriving in Texas to work on Blaine Larsen farm, where reportedly at least 35 other workers became ill and two additional COVID deaths occurred.106 Personal communication with the Texas Department of State Health Services found approximately 35 other positive COVID cases on other farms in Dallam and Hartley counties.
    • VERMONT: Twenty-six H-2A agricultural workers employed at Champlain Orchards tested positive for COVID-19 in October 2020.107
    • WASHINGTON: Over 70 farm and fruit-packing workers in Yakima County, Washington have tested positive for COVID-19.108 In Okanogan County, 120 employees on a single farm tested positive, with another 156 workers awaiting test results in July 2020.109 Stemlit Growers in Chelan County, Washington reported two separate outbreaks among their agricultural workers.110 In late April 2020, Stemlit Growers in Chelan County announced that 36 of their 71 H-2A workers had tested positive for the virus, and in late May 2020 another outbreak occurred in one of their packing houses, where 25 out of 60 workers tested positive. On May 30th, a farmworker in Yakima, Washington died from COVID-19.109 Two H-2A workers died from COVID-19 on Gebbers Farm in Okanogan County: Juan Carlos Santiago Rincon, in his 30s, died from the disease on July 8th, and Earl Edwards, in his early 60s, died in late July 2020.111 A third non-visa employee of Gebbers Farm, Francisco Montiel, died on August 1st, 2020.112



 
Keywords: rural health, farmworker health, covid-19, coronavirus, rural epidemiology, vaccine, outbreak
 
Disclaimer: This publication was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1,916,466 with 0% financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
 
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44.             COVID 19 Farmworker Study. Published 2020. Accessed October 1, 2020. http://covid19farmworkerstudy.org/
45.             Eskenazi B, Mora AM, Lewnard J, Cuevas M, Nkowcha O. Prevalence and predictors of SARS-CoV-2 infection among farmworkers in Monterey County, CA. Published December 2, 2020. Accessed December 9, 2020. https://cerch.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/ucb_csvs_white_paper_12_01_20_final_compressed.pdf
46.             Waltenburg MA, Rose CE, Victoroff T, et al. Early Release - Coronavirus Disease among Workers in Food Processing, Food Manufacturing, and Agriculture Workplaces - Volume 27, Number 1—January 2021 - Emerging Infectious Diseases journal - CDC. doi:10.3201/eid2701.203821
47.             Arcury TA, Weir M, Chen H, et al. Migrant farmworker housing regulation violations in North Carolina. Am J Ind Med. 2012;55(3):191-204. doi:10.1002/ajim.22011
48.             Quandt S, Brooke C, Fagan K, Howe A, Thornburg T, McCurdy S. Farmworker Housing in the United States and Its Impact on Health. New Solut. 2015;25(3):263-286.
49.             Pena A, Teather-Posadas E. Field Sanitation in U.S. Agriculture: Evidence from NAWS and Future Data Needs. J Agromedicine. 2018;23(2). Accessed April 22, 2020. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1059924X.2018.1427642
50.             Guild A, Richards C, Ruiz V. Out of Sight, Out of Mind: The Implementation and Impact of the Affordable Care Act in U.S. Farmworker Communities. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2016;27(4):73-82. doi:10.1353/hpu.2016.0183
51.             FoodandAgVulnerabilityIndex. Accessed October 1, 2020. https://ag.purdue.edu:443/agecon/Pages/FoodandAgVulnerabilityIndex.aspx?_ga=2.49471334.1159720487.1600111458-250602208.1598985334
52.             Op-ed: Migrant Farmworkers, Native Ranchers in Border States Hit Hardest by COVID-19. Civil Eats. Published May 22, 2020. Accessed May 27, 2020. https://civileats.com/2020/05/22/op-ed-migrant-farmworkers-native-ranchers-in-border-states-hit-hardest-by-covid-19/
53.             5 Arizona prison inmates at Hickman’s egg farm test positive for COVID-19. KTAR.com. Published July 1, 2020. Accessed September 22, 2020. https://ktar.com/story/3355561/5-arizona-prison-inmates-at-hickmans-egg-farm-test-positive-for-covid-19/
54.             Lauten-Scrivner A. Foster Farms COVID-19 deaths among worst work-related outbreaks in California, official says. mercedsunstar. Accessed September 17, 2020. https://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/coronavirus/article245767575.html
55.             Oxnard farmworker housing: 154 have recovered from COVID-19 outbreak. Accessed September 22, 2020. https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/2020/07/07/oxnard-farmworker-housing-covid-outbreak-coronavirus-recovery-rate/5387928002/
56.             Santos S de los. Several employees test positive for COVID-19 at produce packing site in Santa Paula. KEYT | KCOY. Published May 14, 2020. Accessed May 27, 2020. https://keyt.com/health/coronavirus/2020/05/13/employee-tests-positive-for-covid-19-at-produce-packing-site-in-santa-paula/
57.             Investigation: COVID rips through motel rooms of guest workers who pick nation’s produce. CalMatters. Published August 17, 2020. Accessed September 22, 2020. https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2020/08/guest-worker-covid-outbreak-california/
58.             Covid-19 rips through motel rooms of farmworkers who pick nation’s produce. The Counter. Published August 18, 2020. Accessed August 18, 2020. https://thecounter.org/covid-guest-workers-motel-rooms-produce-california/
59.             mhodgson@santamariatimes.com MH. Latinos, farmworkers, 20-year-olds have most COVID-19 cases in Santa Barbara County. Santa Maria Times. Accessed October 15, 2020. https://santamariatimes.com/news/local/latinos-farmworkers-20-year-olds-have-most-covid-19-cases-in-santa-barbara-county/article_a2c43a94-3be1-5553-9ad5-7e1575d73731.html
60.             Coronavirus spreads among fruit and vegetable packers, worrying U.S. officials. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-farmworkers-idUSKBN23I1FO. Published June 11, 2020. Accessed June 17, 2020.
61.             Cox J. Local food companies boost workplace protections after employees test positive for COVID-19. The Bakersfield Californian. Accessed May 27, 2020. https://www.bakersfield.com/news/local-food-companies-boost-workplace-protections-after-employees-test-positive-for-covid-19/article_7f0cb796-7dda-11ea-9a27-1f3f7116d112.html
62.             Associated Press. Farmworkers at Central California pistachio farm strike after dozens test positive for the coronavirus. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-25/farmworkers-at-central-california-pistachio-strike-after-dozens-test-positive-for-the-coronavirus. Published June 26, 2020. Accessed June 30, 2020.
63.             Garcia J. Dozens of Pistachio Plant Workers Infected with COVID-19. KQED. Published July 6, 2020. Accessed July 7, 2020. https://www.kqed.org/news/11827498/dozens-of-pistachio-plant-workers-infected-with-covid-19
64.             Yurong D. Protest held after dozens of farmworkers test positive for COVID-19 at Wasco packing house. ABC30 Fresno. Published July 17, 2020. Accessed July 21, 2020. https://abc30.com/6321004/
65.             Lake County reports first death related to COVID-19 as cases spike. The North Bay Business Journal. Published July 3, 2020. Accessed July 7, 2020. https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/article/news/lake-county-reports-first-coronavirus-death-as-ag-worker-outbreak-drives-ca/
66.             Klearman S. Clusters of COVID-19 cases arise among North Bay farmworkers, who remain vulnerable. The Weekly Calistogan. https://napavalleyregister.com/community/calistogan/news/clusters-of-covid-19-cases-arise-among-north-bay-farmworkers-who-remain-vulnerable/article_bdb21c2d-1806-54cd-9fcd-52866f387f23.html. Published July 11, 2020. Accessed July 14, 2020.
67.             Local ag industry has sustained 12 COVID-19 outbreaks, infecting about 350 farmworkers. Sonoma Index-Tribune. Published September 26, 2020. Accessed October 1, 2020. https://www.sonomanews.com/article/news/about-350-sonoma-county-farmworkers-have-contracted-the-coronavirus/
68.             Times ACLA. SJ knew coronavirus could ravage its farmworkers; why didn’t officials stop it? recordnet.com. Accessed July 28, 2020. https://www.recordnet.com/news/20200727/sj-knew-coronavirus-could-ravage-its-farmworkers-why-didnrsquot-officials-stop-it
69.             Rose S. Teen trying to raise money for funeral after dad dies of COVID-19. ABC13 Houston. Published August 15, 2020. Accessed August 18, 2020. https://abc13.com/6372068/
70.             Keith T. COVID-19 outbreak at Colorado mushroom farm; at least 11 confirmed cases. Published May 7, 2020. Accessed June 2, 2020. https://www.kktv.com/content/news/COVID-19-outbreak-at-Colorado-mushroom-farm-at-least-11-confirmed-cases-570265271.html
71.             Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment. Outbreak data. Published July 9, 2020. Accessed July 14, 2020. https://covid19.colorado.gov/data/outbreak-data
72.             Lauzardo M, Kovacevich N, Dennis A, Myers P, Flocks J, Morris JG. An Outbreak of COVID-19 Among H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers. Am J Public Health. 2021;111(4):571-573. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2020.306082
73.             News ABC. Florida migrant towns become coronavirus hot spots in US. ABC News. Accessed June 17, 2020. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/florida-migrant-towns-coronavirus-hot-spots-us-71212542
74.             Mazzei P. Florida’s Coronavirus Spike is Ravaging Migrant Farmworkers. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/18/us/florida-coronavirus-immokalee-farmworkers.html. Published June 18, 2020. Accessed June 23, 2020.
75.             What’s Going On In Immokalee? (Part 1). WFTX. Published June 11, 2020. Accessed June 23, 2020. https://www.fox4now.com/news/america-in-crisis/coronavirus-cases-increase-in-farm-community
76.             Grinspan L. ‘I really thought I was going to die.’ Plant nursery workers sick with COVID-19 report dangerous conditions at work. Miami Herald. Published July 8, 2020. Accessed July 14, 2020. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/homestead/article244034017.html
77.             Herbert C. Echols cases nearly triple after migrant worker testing. Valdosta Daily Times. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.valdostadailytimes.com/news/echols-cases-nearly-triple-after-migrant-worker-testing/article_d94166bc-9b67-11ea-a29a-a7e31eca372f.html
78.             Herbert C. Lanier COVID-19 cases triple with migrant farmworker testing. Valdosta Daily Times. Accessed June 17, 2020. https://www.valdostadailytimes.com/news/lanier-covid-19-cases-triple-with-migrant-farmworker-testing/article_b9c189f6-af1d-11ea-a694-973d3d6b79b2.html
79.             Herbert C. Saying Goodbye: Family loses father to COVID-19. Valdosta Daily Times. Accessed June 23, 2020. https://www.valdostadailytimes.com/news/saying-goodbye-family-loses-father-to-covid-19/article_529e0726-b301-11ea-8659-4306df20d461.html
80.             At Least 100 Migrant Farmworkers In Illinois Have Tested Positive For COVID-19, Clinic Director Says -. Published July 14, 2020. Accessed August 11, 2020. https://illinoisnewsroom.org/at-least-100-migrant-farmworkers-in-illinois-have-tested-positive-for-covid-19/
81.             Tadlock E. Maine CDC reports another outbreak among agricultural workers for local blueberry farm. https://www.wabi.tv. Accessed August 5, 2020. https://www.wabi.tv/2020/08/04/maine-cdc-reports-another-outbreak-among-agricultural-workers-for-local-blueberry-farm/
82.             Sentinel MS. Maine CDC launches investigation into COVID-19 outbreak at Clinton dairy farm. Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel. Published December 7, 2020. Accessed December 9, 2020. https://www.centralmaine.com/2020/12/07/cdc-launches-investigation-into-covid-19-outbreak-at-clinton-dairy-farm/
83.             NEWS 10. Local poultry farm seeing COVID-19 outbreak. Published April 28, 2020. Accessed June 2, 2020. https://www.wilx.com/content/news/Local-poultry-farm-seeing-COVID-19-outbreak-570025931.html
84.             Banta M. COVID-19 outbreak at farm connected to at least 84 cases in 5 counties. Published May 7, 2020. Accessed June 2, 2020. https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2020/05/07/coronavirus-covid-19-herbrucks-poultry-ranch-outbreak/5175911002/
85.             Tarrant A. Michigan’s asparagus harvest seemed to go well, then the COVID-19 outbreaks came. Lansing State Journal. Accessed August 11, 2020. https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2020/07/29/michigan-asparagus-harvest-covid-19-coronavirus-agriculture-vegetables/5519690002/
86.             Measel J. Maroa testing of workers led to recent Branch County COVID-19 spike. WTVB. Published June 16, 2020. Accessed July 7, 2020. https://wtvbam.com/news/articles/2020/jun/16/maroa-testing-of-workers-led-to-recent-branch-covid-19-spike/1029983/
87.             News KHUC. “Cluster” of cases among Missaukee County ag workers. Cadillac News. Accessed July 21, 2020. https://www.cadillacnews.com/news/cluster-of-cases-among-missaukee-county-ag-workers/article_9537249b-5d87-5ac9-9440-0197f0637c73.html
88.             Harker J. 13 covid cases among workers at MO hog farm. Brownfield Ag News. https://brownfieldagnews.com/news/13-covid-cases-among-workers-at-mo-hog-farm/. Published May 20, 2020. Accessed June 2, 2020.
89.             More Than Half of a South Jersey Farm’s Workers Infected With COVID-19, DOH Reports. NJ Spotlight. Published May 11, 2020. Accessed May 12, 2020. https://www.njspotlight.com/2020/05/more-than-half-of-a-south-jersey-farms-workers-infected-with-covid-19-doh-reports/
90.             More migrant workers test positive for COVID-19, this time in Gloucester County. WHYY. Accessed May 27, 2020. https://whyy.org/articles/more-migrant-workers-test-positive-for-covid-19-this-time-in-gloucester-county/
91.             Two Fatalities Reported as South Jersey Seasonal Farmworkers with COVID-19 Infections Grows to 400. NJ Spotlight. Published May 22, 2020. Accessed May 27, 2020. https://www.njspotlight.com/2020/05/two-fatalities-reported-as-south-jersey-seasonal-farm-workers-with-covid-19-infections-grows-to-400/
92.             Green Empire Farm coronavirus outbreak: Madison County wants to inspect migrant living conditions at hotels. syracuse. Published May 10, 2020. Accessed May 12, 2020. https://www.syracuse.com/news/2020/05/green-empire-farm-coronavirus-outbreak-madison-county-wants-to-inspect-migrant-living-conditions-at-hotels.html
93.             OSHA Conducting Investigation at Green Empire Farms. Accessed May 12, 2020. https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2020/05/08/osha-investigation-at-green-empire-farms
94.             Sanchez-Guerra A. COVID cases rise across NC agricultural farmworkers | Raleigh News & Observer. The News & Observer. https://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article243878327.html. Published July 3, 2020. Accessed July 14, 2020.
95.             Toth C. 112 workers test positive for coronavirus at Alleghany County Christmas tree farm. charlotteobserver. Accessed August 18, 2020. https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article245019545.html
96.             Byard K. Health officials tracking coronavirus outbreaks, including at Case Farms. The Repository. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.cantonrep.com/news/20200604/health-officials-tracking-coronavirus-outbreaks-including-at-case-farms
97.             Newton R. Coronavirus: 50 cases now linked to farm outbreak in Urbana. dayton-daily-news. Accessed September 17, 2020. /news/coronavirus-50-cases-now-linked-to-farm-outbreak-in-urbana/S3W63BS3CZBLTLI6GGIMGVKCRM/
98.             Oregon Health Authority. COVID-19-Weekly-Report. Published July 22, 2020. Accessed September 22, 2020. https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/DISEASESCONDITIONS/DISEASESAZ/Emerging%20Respitory%20Infections/COVID-19-Weekly-Report-2020-07-22-FINAL.pdf
99.             Oregon Health Authority. COVID-19 Weekly Report September 16. Published September 16, 2020. Accessed September 22, 2020. https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/DISEASESCONDITIONS/DISEASESAZ/Emerging%20Respitory%20Infections/COVID-19-Weekly-Report-2020-09-16-FINAL.pdf
100.          Klamath COVID-19 outbreak shows risks to farmworkers. opb. Accessed October 15, 2020. https://www.opb.org/article/2020/10/13/klamath-covid-19-outbreak-shows-risks-to-farmworkers/
101.          Luther S. Rhea Co. farm leader says all of their nearly 200 employees have virus, only 3 symptomatic. WTVC. Published May 26, 2020. Accessed June 2, 2020. https://newschannel9.com/news/local/rhea-co-farm-leader-says-all-of-their-nearly-200-employees-have-virus-only-3-symptomatic
102.          38 Scott’s Strawberry & Tomato Farms employees test positive for COVID-19. WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. Published June 1, 2020. Accessed June 2, 2020. https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/38-scotts-strawberry-tomato-farms-employees-test-positive-for-covid-19/
103.          10 Jones & Church Farms employees test positive for COVID-19. Johnson City Press. Accessed June 9, 2020. http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Health-Care/2020/06/08/10-Jones-Church-Farms.html
104.          WVLT News. No additional cases of COVID-19 at Monterey Mushroom. https://www.wvlt.tv. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.wvlt.tv/content/news/57-workers-test-positive-for-COVID-19-at-Monterey-Mushroom-plant-in-Loudon-County-570550011.html
105.          Martinez V. Farmworkers center pushes for more testing with essential workers at risk for COVID-19. El Paso Times. Accessed July 7, 2020. https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2020/07/03/el-paso-farmworker-center-pushes-for-more-testing-for-essential-workers/3257645001/
106.          Death in Dalhart. The Texas Observer. Published September 16, 2020. Accessed September 17, 2020. https://www.texasobserver.org/larsen-farms-dalhart-farmworker-death/
107.          Cookson J. 26 farmworkers in Vermont test positive for COVID-19. WPTZ. Published October 6, 2020. Accessed October 15, 2020. https://www.mynbc5.com/article/26-farmworkers-in-vermont-test-positive-for-covid-19/34275724
108.          As coronavirus cases in Yakima Valley agriculture spike, advocates for growers and workers react differently to new state guidelines. The Seattle Times. Published April 19, 2020. Accessed April 22, 2020. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/as-coronavirus-cases-in-yakima-valley-agriculture-spike-new-state-guidelines-get-sharply-different-reactions/
109.          Farmworker death draws state scrutiny in Okanogan County, where COVID-19 cases are spiking. The Seattle Times. Published July 25, 2020. Accessed July 28, 2020. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/farmworker-death-draws-state-scrutiny-in-okanogan-county-where-covid-19-cases-are-spiking/
110.          Robbins J. Stemilt packing line shuts down after 25 new COVID-19 infections. NCWLIFE. Published May 26, 2020. Accessed May 27, 2020. https://www.ncwlife.com/stemilt-packing-line-shuts-down-after-25-new-covid-19-infections/
111.          Read R. COVID-19 strikes Washington state farmworkers and swamps rural hospitals. Los Angeles Times. Published August 4, 2020. Accessed August 5, 2020. https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-08-04/coronavirus-northwest-farm-workers
112.          writer TB staff. Activists protest for farmworker rights. The Wenatchee World. Accessed September 17, 2020. https://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/coronavirus/activists-protest-for-farmworker-rights/article_47a92b36-de7e-11ea-8a0b-6357f7165fd0.html

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