Ag child labor proposal gets worse when details revealed

"If you thought the new non-agricultural rules prohibiting virtually all employment of youth under 16 were overzealous, the details in this document are downright oppressive," Anderson said. "The DOL assumes that youth under age 16 lack the 'cognitive ability' to herd animals on horseback, use battery-powered drills, put hay bales on a bale elevator or use any equipment except if powered by hand or foot." The document betrays an attitude in government that - perhaps unconsciously - would destroy the generational family structure commonly found on farms. "In agriculture it is common for farms to be operated by two, three or even five generations of family members," Anderson said. "The grandparents own the land, their children are buying into the farm and may have some land on their own, and the grandchildren are working to understand what it takes to be a farmer. If the parents and grandparents operate the farm, the grandchildren under 16 would be prohibited from working on the operation." Such restrictions and inconsistencies are why Anderson and other Michigan Farm Bureau officials are pleading with farmers to submit comments to the DOL before the Nov. 1 comment period expires. Read the entire document by googling federal register Vol. 76, No. 171 ag youth. "Don't let the spin fool you," Anderson said. "They'll say there's nothing for farm families to worry about because there is an exemption for children working on their parents' farm. The DOL proposal says it will maintain the family exemption, but later limits the exemption for any business or multi-generation farm."...more