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On July 9, the Ventura County Star published Calmetter’s article, “Sacrificing Safety for Profit” In a July 31, front-page article by Star reporter Tom Kiskin, “Covid in Cropland: Local growers take early precautions.” Farmers’ advocates say it wasn’t enough. The “Friday Team” of growers, farmworker advocates, public health officials and others who have worked to keep workers safe throughout the pandemic are pleased to see this local action announced.
The pandemic has taken a heavy toll on so many families in our community. Unfortunately, as reported by CAL/OSHA, there were unacceptable safety regulations violations. On the other hand, we are proud that many Ventura County farmers are going beyond compliance and choosing to join local government and farmworker advocates in a collaborative effort to protect the health and safety of our community. While not every company is participating in our initiative, many industry leaders here in Ventura County have gone the extra mile to protect farmworkers from the spread of COVID-19 and support those who are sick.
On March 2, 2020, a group of farmers and farmworker advocates estimated farmworkers’ exposure to Covid. Local farmers, elected officials, government agencies, the Farm Worker Assistance Program, the Commissioner of Agriculture, MICOP, CAUSE, Lideres Campesinas and others quickly called a large meeting. The group’s mission was to “support the safety and health of farm workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.” This group is informally referred to as the “Friday Group”. Despite occasional disagreements, our team has worked diligently to find common ground, build alliances, and improve farmworker health.
In response to the ever-changing situation, the team continues to meet weekly from March to August 2020 and bi-weekly through June 2021 to discuss how to keep farmworkers safe and informed. Accomplishments of the “Friday Group” include issuing farm worker ID cards to ease quarantine fears and articulating and disseminating best practices to agricultural employers. The group has collaborated to deliver accurate information to farmers and farm workers and to deliver food and mask distribution, health education and community vaccination clinics on and off the farm.
In Ventura County, 1.5 million surgical masks and 100,000 KN95 masks were distributed to employers and farm workers. More than 100,000 informational leaflets were used for toll booths and tens of thousands of hand sanitisers were distributed. These meetings were the genesis of the Farmworker Family Assistance Program, which has provided more than $7 million in funding, including county funds and $400,000 in private donations from farmers and others.
As the peak of the outbreak began to subside, Friday’s team continued to build on the relationships that had been formed and, in June 2021, established itself as the Ventura County Farmworker Health Collaborative. A July 31 Star article highlights the importance of collaborative efforts to address farmers’ vulnerabilities and safety and health issues, indicating that the Ventura County Farmworker Health Collaborative and its various members are well positioned to move forward.
For more information, contact Debbie Jackson at dbrokawjackson@gmail.com or 805-856-8015.
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