Latham Protects Family Farm Tradition from Federal Government's Overreach

12/16/11

Iowa Congressman Tom Latham is taking action to support the tradition of Iowa’s family farms as bureaucrats at the U.S. Department of Labor push to restrict the ability of youth to do farm work.

The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed updated regulations on labor practices for minors in agricultural operations.  Historically, family farms have been exempted from such rules, but Congressman Latham has expressed concerns that a new proposal could be interpreted to exclude operations that are partly owned by extended family members such as grandparents, aunts or uncles.  Such practices occur often in modern agriculture as families employ a variety of legal structures to remain financially viable.  

In response, Congressman Latham authored and introduced bipartisan legislation on Friday that expresses the sense of Congress that “the Secretary of Labor should recognize the unique circumstances of family farm youth and multi-generational family partnerships in agricultural operations when drafting regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act.”  Rep. Dan Boren, an Oklahoma Democrat, is co-sponsoring the legislation. 

“Iowa farmers have often told me that they feel like their own federal government is out to get them,” Congressman Latham said.  “Here we have yet another overreach by the federal government in an ongoing effort to tell the family farmer how they should run every aspect of their operation.”

In 2007, there were more than 6,000 farms in Iowa held by family corporations, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  The current regulatory structure has been interpreted by federal agencies to exempt such operations, but there’s no guarantee that a new regulation would be interpreted the same way.

“The face of modern agriculture has changed in many ways since the 1970s when these labor regulations were first enacted, and there’s no doubt that they need to be updated,” Congressman Latham said. “But the Department of Labor must be sensitive to the needs of family farms that use alternate legal structures to stay in business.   Everyone agrees that safety must always be the top priority on farms and ranches, especially when children are involved.  But we have to make absolutely certain that federal bureaucrats, many of whom have never set foot on a farm, will not be able to tell successful family farms how to run their operations.”

Congressman Latham said he will seek out additional input from Iowa farmers and agricultural groups such as FFA and 4-H on the topic and introduce additional legislation after Congress reconvenes next year that will update U.S. code to reflect the realities of modern farming. 

“Family farms are just that:  family-run enterprises that depend on contributions from everyone in the family, and often that includes youth,” Congressman Latham said. “This is an Iowa tradition that goes back generations.  As the regulatory process moves forward, we have to make sure that it doesn’t jeopardize the success of Iowa’s family farms.”