Movement of Migrant Workers

There are about three million farm workers in the United States who harvest much of the produce families eat each day. Most of these workers remain in one place most of the year, but some are migrant workers who move, along with their entire family, as the growing seasons change. In the 1960s there were three major streams of migrant worker movements. These movements included the Pacific Coast, the Midwest, and the Atlantic Coast. While the paths of these migrant workers may have become slightly altered over time, the movement of migrant workers continues to this day. 

The Pacific Coast region has a moderate climate that allows for year-round harvesting. For most of the year migrant workers in this region work on large California fruit farms. They then travel to Washington for the remainder of the year to pick cherries, apples, and other crops. 

Crops in the Midwest and East Coast streams are smaller, consequently workers must keep moving in order to find work. During one year a typical midwestern migrant worker family may pick strawberries in michigan, travel to Ohio to harvest tomatoes, return to Michigan to pick apples, and then travel to Texas for the winter months when it is difficult to find work. 

Some farm workers along the Atlantic Coast stream remain in Florida for the entire year. Others travel as far north as New Hampshire and New York where they work from March through September. Due to harsh winters migrants in the Atlantic Coast region can only find work for six months of the year. 

-Lisa