Complexion Community Development News Today

A labor union representing agricultural workers in Ohio, North Carolina and Virginia says it isnt waiting around for federal immigration reform to continue pushing for undocumented workers rights. Nearly 200 delegates recently voted to re-elect union President Baldemar Velasquez to a 14th term. Velasquez said the Farm Labor Organizing Committee plans to focus on defending workers employed on some of the states largest farms who often face wage and working-conditions exploitation. ...

Farmers are facing record-high land prices due to a bevy of factors. According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report, Virginia farm real estate prices have risen 8.5% in the last four years, and cost is not the only problem farmers face in trying to acquire land. ...

Farmers in and around Virginia are working to educate children about agriculture and provide a deeper understanding of their work. These programs dont just teach kids about farming, but are designed for them to understand where their food comes from. Other goals include dispelling certain ideals about what farming is. ...

Black farmers in Kentucky said they have benefited from participating in Farms to Food Banks, an agricultural program funneling leftover produce from local farms to regional food pantries, and into the hands of Kentucky families in need. Tatum Lewis of Black Roots Farm in Clark County said he is working to help raise awareness about the program among the states farmers of color. Lewis views the program as an opportunity for farmers to generate cash from what they might otherwise plow under. .....