Your work. Your records.
Farmworker Workplace Records Guide
Crop, nursery and greenhouse work may move between harvesting, transplanting and sorting as weather and crop condition change. An employment account should identify the task and payment basis you were given for each period rather than treating the season as one uniform assignment.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Task transition
List the dates you moved between field, nursery, grading or packing duties.
Quantity adjustment
Record the original quantity, later adjustment and explanation only where those figures are yours to retain.
Crew instruction
Identify who set your work assignment and how a change in task or rate was communicated.
Start with the work you actually do
Manually plant, cultivate, and harvest vegetables, fruits, nuts, horticultural specialties, and field crops. Use hand tools, such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears, and knives. Duties may include tilling soil and applying fertilizers; transplanting, weeding, thinning, or pruning crops; applying pesticides; or cleaning, grading, sorting, packing, and loading harvested products. May construct trellises, repair fences and farm buildings, or participate in irrigation activities.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse (45-2092.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Record information about crops, such as pesticide use, yields, or costs.Source task 23387 · updated 08/2022
- Direct and monitor the work of casual and seasonal help during planting and harvesting.Source task 23379 · updated 08/2022
- Participate in the inspection, grading, sorting, storage, and post-harvest treatment of crops.Source task 23392 · updated 08/2022
- Harvest plants, and transplant or pot and label them.Source task 23370 · updated 08/2022
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse (SOC 45-2092). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $14.23 | $16.28 | $18.06 | $33,870 |
| Alaska | $14.64 | $17.68 | $30.00 | $36,780 |
| Arizona | $14.97 | $16.86 | $17.21 | $35,080 |
| Arkansas | $14.49 | $15.85 | $17.43 | $32,970 |
| Connecticut | $16.35 | $17.77 | $21.50 | $36,950 |
| Delaware | $15.00 | $15.91 | $16.75 | $33,090 |
| Florida | $14.08 | $14.73 | $17.22 | $30,640 |
| Georgia | $13.64 | $14.57 | $17.78 | $30,300 |
| Hawaii | $16.12 | $17.79 | $21.23 | $36,990 |
| Idaho | $15.02 | $16.57 | $17.63 | $34,470 |
| Indiana | $15.00 | $17.78 | $22.35 | $36,980 |
| Iowa | $14.72 | $18.07 | $18.99 | $37,590 |
| Kansas | $15.11 | $17.80 | $19.71 | $37,020 |
| Kentucky | $14.16 | $15.89 | $18.52 | $33,050 |
| Louisiana | $14.31 | $15.99 | $17.86 | $33,260 |
| Maine | $17.60 | $18.78 | $23.07 | $39,060 |
| Michigan | $16.58 | $18.60 | $20.33 | $38,680 |
| Minnesota | $15.77 | $18.31 | $21.34 | $38,080 |
| Mississippi | $13.32 | $14.55 | $18.03 | $30,250 |
| Missouri | $14.10 | $17.44 | $19.33 | $36,280 |
| Montana | $16.00 | $19.90 | $22.67 | $41,390 |
| Nebraska | $16.92 | $19.01 | $21.79 | $39,530 |
| New Hampshire | $14.47 | $17.27 | $20.33 | $35,920 |
| New Mexico | $12.60 | $14.98 | $17.05 | $31,150 |
| New York | $17.43 | $19.68 | $21.94 | $40,930 |
| North Carolina | $14.34 | $16.28 | $17.61 | $33,870 |
| North Dakota | $14.78 | $14.94 | $17.95 | $31,080 |
| Ohio | $15.34 | $18.01 | $20.79 | $37,470 |
| Oklahoma | $13.36 | $15.91 | $18.50 | $33,090 |
| Pennsylvania | $15.49 | $17.80 | $21.30 | $37,010 |
| Rhode Island | $16.78 | $18.05 | $23.39 | $37,540 |
| South Dakota | $17.27 | $20.32 | $22.74 | $42,260 |
| Tennessee | $14.16 | $14.91 | $17.47 | $31,020 |
| Texas | $13.79 | $15.79 | $17.25 | $32,840 |
| Utah | $13.25 | $16.10 | $18.76 | $33,490 |
| Vermont | $16.62 | $16.91 | $21.73 | $35,170 |
| Virginia | $15.44 | $17.10 | $19.09 | $35,580 |
| West Virginia | $13.50 | $14.93 | $17.35 | $31,050 |
| Wisconsin | $14.75 | $17.00 | $18.96 | $35,360 |
| Wyoming | $22.63 | $26.53 | $27.43 | $55,180 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Record the work location and task
Describe the field, nursery area or crop in general terms and note who assigned the work. Record changes between harvesting, potting and post-harvest sorting. Distinguish instructions given directly to you from those relayed by another crew member.
Compare work with your own pay record
Note the hours or quantities you personally recorded and the rate communicated for that task. If produce was rejected or a quantity adjusted, record the stated reason. Keep estimates clearly labeled and do not infer another worker's earnings from your own statement.
Keep records within your access
Retain your own pay statements and permitted work instructions. Avoid taking crew identity documents, proprietary growing plans or farm customer lists. Identify where a tally or assignment record is held instead of removing it from the workplace.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
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