April 4, 2019: NAWS at 30

NAWS questionaire

April 4, 2019
Andrews Conference Room, 2203 SS&H

The National Agricultural Worker Survey (NAWS) began to interview workers employed on crop farms in calendar year 1988, and has interviewed over 70,000 farm workers in the past three decades, a third in California.

This conference examines NAWS and other farm labor data.  The first presentations review three decades of NAWS data, and compare recent NAWS data to USDA and other farm labor data.  NAWS Panel 1 reviews research using NAWS data to understand farm worker employment and earnings, while NAWS Panel 2 focuses on the use of NAWS data to understand farm worker health and use of public services. Panel 3 compares trends in other farm labor data series to NAWS, while Panel 4 solicits user input on the strengths and weaknesses of the NAWS.

All presenters are asked to consider (1) whether the NAWS methodology of multi-stage sampling to account for seasonal and regional fluctuations in farm employment or other aspects of the survey’s design need to be modified, and (2) whether the NAWS questionnaire should be modified to collect better or additional data.

The report of the conference will include recommendations to the US Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) on the NAWS methodology and questionnaire, which will be discussed during a half-day seminar and Webinar at ETA.

We are grateful for the support of ETA and the UC Ag Issues Center and the Gifford Center, as well as the Giannini and Rosenberg foundations and the ALRB.  To participate, please register at: We will provide the meals noted on the agenda. Please take a moment to register. For further information, email Philip Martin.

Agenda

8:15AM: Breakfast

8:45AM: Welcome, Philip Martin and Tim Beatty, UC Davis

9:00AM: 30 Years of NAWS Data (30 minutes)

• Daniel Carroll DOL

9:30AM: Other Farm Labor Data  (20 & 10 minutes)

• Census of Agriculture and Farm Labor Survey, Curt Stock, NASS
• Brandon Hooker, EDD and Dave Dahlberg, EDD
• Discussants: Dan Sumner, UC Davis, Philip Martin, UC Davis        

10:45AM: Break

11AM: NAWS Panel 1. Farm Worker Employment and Earnings (20 and 10 minutes)

• Tim Beatty and Ali Hill, UC Davis
• Anita Pena, CO Stata: paper, presentation
• Ed Taylor and Zach Rutledge, UC-Davis: paper, presentation
• Discussants: Giovanni Peri, UC Davis, Philip Martin, UC Davis

12:15PM: Lunch

1:15PM: NAWS Panel 2. Methodology, Q-aire, and Health (20 and 10 minutes)

• Jeff Perloff, UCB
• Joe Grzywacz, FSU
• Discussants: Fadi Fathallah, David Slaughter, UC Davis

2:15PM: Break

2:30PM: NAWS Panel 3. How NAWS uses COA, FLS, and QCEW data (20 and 10 minutes)

• Overview of COA, FLS, and QCEW, Tom Hertz, ERS
• NAWS, Susan Gabbard, JBS: NAWS Survey 2018, Findings from the NAWS Survey
• Discussants: Dave Dahlberg, EDD, Curt Stock, NASS

3:45PM: NAWS Panel 4. Data Users (15 minutes)

• Bryan Little, California Farm Bureau Federation
• Lupe Sandoval, California Farm Labor Contractor Association
• Michael Marsh, National Council of Agricultural Employers
• Katy Wilcoxen, Environmental Protection Agency
• Akhtar Khan, California Department of Social Services

4:45PM: Closing comments, Daniel Carroll, ETA, Philip Martin, UC Davis

5:00PM: Adjourn

5:30PM: Reception and light dinner, UCD