Farm worker advocates are sounding the alarm on overtime pay. One legal expert warns that this push could add more strain to an industry already facing major challenges.
“My thing with the overtime is it hurts the employee,” explained Shawn Packer, principal at JPH Law. “It hurts the employer, too, but it hurts the employee because you’re limiting the hours that they’re working, so that you’re not paying the overtime, so they’re actually making less money.”
Packer added that while there is a lot of advocacy surrounding the prevailing wage lawsuit, it ultimately takes money out of the pockets of farm workers.
When it comes to regulations, such as the heat rule, Packer said that it only adds to the problem.
“One of the things, especially when we started looking at the heat rule and everything else, that’s amazing to me is you’ve got these advocacy organizations that are pushing so hard to keep piece rate, but then we have these regulations that tell us to stop working. And the workers, that’s all they want to do is they want to make that piece rate.”
Bottom line: Packer says that despite all the efforts advocates make, the workers are still making less money.
Winter Weather And Markets Reshape Agriculture Nationwide This Week
February 02, 2026 12:04 PM
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Falling livestock prices, combined with higher input costs, continue to squeeze farm profitability heading into 2026.
February 02, 2026 10:22 AM
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Smaller cow numbers and a declining calf crop point to prolonged tight cattle supplies, limiting near-term herd rebuilding potential.
January 30, 2026 03:42 PM
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Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, provides new updates on winter storm impacts and the outlook for rural power reliability.
January 30, 2026 02:59 PM
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Jessi Grote from the AgriSafe Network provides winter safety guidance for rural communities still recovering from the recent winter storm.
January 30, 2026 01:42 PM
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CattleCon 2026 officially kicks off Tuesday and continues through Thursday, bringing producers together to shape the future of the U.S. cattle industry.
January 30, 2026 01:30 PM
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The changing political climate in America is leading to a drop in migrant crossings near the U.S.-Mexico border, where ranchers like Dr. Mike Vickers say they witnessed horrors from death to child trafficking.
January 30, 2026 11:47 AM
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A rapidly intensifying winter storm is expected to develop into a bomb cyclone this weekend, affecting the Southeast, southern Virginia, and potentially parts of the mid‑Atlantic and New England.
January 30, 2026 10:52 AM
Often overlooked, cotton wholesalers act as stabilizers during market stress, translating fragmented retail demand into workable production programs for mills and manufacturers.
January 30, 2026 08:00 AM
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