Workers harvest artichokes at Ocean Mist Farms, Castroville, CA.
“Complaining that people don’t want to work because they could make more on unemployment is a funny way of admitting that you pay poverty wages.”
This sentiment is circulating on the Internet these days. It responds to widespread claims that extended unemployment benefits, notably the federal bonus of $300 a week, are causing a labor shortage in the retail and restaurant industries (see, for example here) and U.S. jobless claims fall to 473K as more GOP governors bar aid.
There appears to be some truth to these claims. In an email to me, Philip L. Martin, a professor at the University of California specializing in farm labor, writes regarding the labor shortage in the restaurant industry, “This may be a case of fears of covid + the disincentives of UI [unemployment interest] fed and state.”
AMI: Lack of labor causing mushroom shortage – Produce Blue Book producebluebook.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from producebluebook.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
AMI then spent months collaborating with mushroom farms, the state Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, and LCH Health and Community Services, which has been serving southern Chester County for almost 50 years.
The partners decided an effective way to inoculate mushroom workers whenever the vaccine became eligible for the group would be to start an education campaign early where workers wouldn’t be pressured to get the vaccine, but instead get all their questions answered. The other key component of the plan was to bring the vaccines directly to farms.
The American Mushroom Institute organized vaccine clinics for Kennett Square’s farm workers. (Mark Rutt/Design Design for American Mushroom Institute)
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American Mushroom Institute awarded $40,000 in state grant funding
An important program to promote the nutritional, culinary, and health benefits of Pennsylvania-grown mushrooms will receive $40,000 in state grant funding through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, state Senator Carolyn Comitta and state Representative Christina Sappey announced today.
The American Mushroom Institute, the national trade association representing the growers, processors, and marketers of cultivated mushrooms in the United States, will receive the matching funds for the Mushroom Farmers of Pennsylvania’s “Eating Better to Build Back Better” program.
This program focuses on mushroom culinary properties and health benefits. It will also promote contributions to soil health and carbon sequestration.