Oregon lacks unified system to track farmworker conditions, state report says
A 75-page analysis finds fragmented data and limited agency coordination hinder the state's ability to monitor labor standards in its agricultural sector.
By Allison Rojas ·
Oregon farmworkers lack a central state system to monitor their working conditions, a new report found. The Legislative Policy and Research Office released a 75-page study last week detailing how the state manages labor standards for the agricultural sector. The analysis follows a 2025 state law requiring a review of the industry's administrative methods.
The report identifies a lack of interagency coordination as a primary issue. State agencies responsible for enforcing labor laws operate in silos. The Department of Consumer and Business Services, the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division, and the Oregon Department of Agriculture do not share complaints in all cases. State law does not mandate data sharing in specific areas, though the report does not list which ones. "Agencies coordinate where their responsibilities intersect, but no single framework directs how agencies should coordinate on farmworker protections," the document states.
Data collection is described as fragmented, lagged, and incomplete. The state struggles to track employment trends, the health of family farms, and the effectiveness of temporary visa programs. Metrics must be assembled from separate sources that use different definitions and schedules. In 2022, more than 80% of Oregon farms were family operations with gross cash income under $150,000.
The findings arrive before a second report on agricultural overtime is due to lawmakers at the end of November. That upcoming document will detail the economic impact of a 2022 state law. The law phases in stricter overtime rules for farmworkers who do not have federal overtime protections. Lawmakers may revisit the statute during the 2027 legislative session.
Current state law requires overtime pay for hours worked beyond 48 per week this year. That threshold drops to 40 hours next year. A 2025 analysis by Oregon State University researchers found that while the law increased hourly wages, it reduced overall income for agricultural employees. Colorado, for example, applies its agricultural overtime provisions only to work exceeding 56 hours per week.
Reyna Lopez, executive director of Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, said farmworkers have historically missed out on standard labor protections. She noted that piece rate wages often exclude workers from pay during breaks. The union also highlighted issues with housing and collective bargaining rights. "Even still, farmworkers are not paid at piece rate wages when they are allowed a break," Lopez wrote in a statement. "Our state must ensure that farmworkers actually experience the protections that were meant for them."
The Oregon Farm Bureau, which represents farmers and ranchers, viewed the report as an affirmation of the rights afforded to workers. Jenny Dresler, a spokesperson for the group, argued that the lack of unified data is not unique to agriculture. "Several agencies have jurisdiction over these workplace protections, but Oregon agriculture isn't unique in that regard," Dresler said. She noted that construction, manufacturing, retail, insurance, health care, and restaurant industries also face a disjointed regulatory environment with multiple enforcement agencies.
