#labor

Two people talking at a table. Image by Edwin Remsberg

Harvesting crops with combine by Edwin Remsberg.jpg

Crop being hand harvested by Edwin Remsberg.jpg

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Note: This website is intended to provide general information about legal issues, crop insurance, farm policy, and other risk management issues and should not be construed as providing legal advice. It should not be cited or relied upon as legal authority. For advice about how the issues discussed here might apply to your individual situation, you should consult an attorney.

Welcome to the Maryland Risk Management Education Blog, provided by the University of Maryland Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. This blog provides readers with information on risk management issues important to Maryland agriculture, upcoming events, and new materials that may interest readers.

Reduce Farm Labor Law Compliance Risk: Check Out DOL’s Online Sessions

Nicole Cook

Apr 5, 2022
2 min

Reduce Farm Labor Law Compliance Risk: Check Out DOL’s Online Sessions

This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. Do you have questions about Federal labor laws that apply to your farm workers? What about the H-2A Temporary Employment Certification requirements? Or, would you like to learn more about OSHA health and safety requirements for farm workers? Maybe you want a refresher on the Fair Labor Standards Act and child labor, or maybe how to comply with the Migrant and Seasonal Worker Prote

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Maryland Department of Agriculture Guides For Protecting Farm Workers

Nicole Cook

Jun 29, 2020
2 min

Maryland Department of Agriculture Guides For Protecting Farm Workers

By Nicole Cook As Maryland continues reopening following weeks of stay-at-home restrictions, and farms begin welcoming their summer farmworkers, Maryland’s Department of Agriculture (MDA) has developed short, easy-to-understand, practical resources to help farms reduce the risk of COVID-19 in the workplace. The guides provide step-by-step checklists for ensuring that employers have thought about and taken steps to protect their workers’ health, and what to do if their workers

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Nicole Cook

Jun 9, 2020
7 min

Employer Liability in the Time of COVID

By Nicole Cook This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. As we are all too well aware, there are myriad sources of exposure to COVID-19. The workplace is one. Farms, as essential businesses, have continued to operate throughout the pandemic, and farm employers are starting to ask whether they should worry about their employees suing them claiming that they contracted COVID-19 at work. This post looks at the potential type

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Do You Have Employees, Volunteers Or Interns Working On Your Farm?

Nicole Cook

May 14, 2019
3 min

Do You Have Employees, Volunteers Or Interns Working On Your Farm?

By Nicole Cook This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. Understanding whether you have employees, volunteers, contractors, interns or apprentices working on your farm is vital to managing your farm’s risk. Farmers that mistakenly identify workers can wind up violating state and federal requirements for things like minimum wage, workers’ compensation, payroll taxes and unemployment insurance. Noncompliance with employment l

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Plan to Attend the Business & Legal Considerations for Your Farm Workshop on March 23rd

Nicole Cook

Mar 12, 2019
3 min

Plan to Attend the Business & Legal Considerations for Your Farm Workshop on March 23rd

By Nicole Cook This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. A workshop for farmers with business and/or legal concerns is scheduled for Saturday, March 23rd, at 5301 Marlboro Race Track Road in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, from 8 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. The primary goal of the event is to equip farmers with the understanding of business and legal principles associated with managing a farm operation. Farm lending, labor and business ris

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New 2019 H-2A Hourly Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWR) Take Effect Tomorrow

Nicole Cook

Jan 8, 2019
3 min

New 2019 H-2A Hourly Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWR) Take Effect Tomorrow

By Nicole Cook This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. With all eyes on the Farm Bill and the government shut down, you may have missed that on December 26, 2018, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a Federal Register Notice announcing the new 2019 Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWRs) in each state. The new AEWRs apply to the employment of temporary or seasonal nonimmigrant

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Maryland’s Healthy Working Families Act- How will it Impact the Farm?

Sarah Everhart

Feb 27, 2018
2 min

Maryland’s Healthy Working Families Act- How will it Impact the Farm?

By Sarah Everhart The article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. Following a legislative override of Governor Hogan’s veto, the Healthy Working Families Act went into effect in Maryland on February 11, 2018. The law requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide paid earned sick and safe leave (safe leave includes certain uses related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking committed against the employee or the

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Admin

Jun 23, 2017
2 min

Weekly Roundup June 23rd

By Sarah Fielder New UME Publication Available on Equine Leasing Leasing a horse is a common practice, but many owners and those looking to lease a horse often struggle with what needs to go into an equine lease. Sara BhaduriHauck and Paul Goeringer have authored a fact sheet laying out the basics of what should be considered in leasing a horse and a sample lease to aid in developing the lease. To view the publication, see https://go.umd.edu/EquineLease. New MDA & UME Publi