Inside The Lives Of Farmworkers: Top 5 Lessons I Learned On The Ground

Most of us — and by "us," I mean urban and suburban consumers like me — don't usually get to meet the people who pick our apples, oranges or strawberries.

So about a year ago, I decided to launch a series of stories about the people who harvest some of America's iconic seasonal foods. Many of these workers move from place to place, following the seasons.

I visited workers who were harvesting apples in Pennsylvania, sweet potatoes and blueberries in North Carolina, and oranges and strawberries in Florida. In each place, I also talked to farmers who own those crops and hire the workers.

I set a couple of rules for myself. I wouldn't contact workers through their employers, and I would not use them simply as stage props in stories about current political debates — such as the arguments over immigration, or pesticides, or minimum-wage rules. These were supposed to be stories about people and places, not government policies....

So what did I learn? Here's a short list....
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/07/15/484967591/inside-the-lives-of-farmworkers-top-5-lessons-i-learned-on-the-ground?ft=nprml&f=1001