Under California laws, what definition or who are considered agricultural workers?

Agricultural workers are defined in Wage Order 14 and include employees engaged in the preparation and treatment of farmland as well as the care and harvesting of crops. Agricultural workers include employees engaged in sheepherding, irrigation and licensed crew members on commercial fishing vessels.

Free legal advice. Call now: 800-484-4610

Nakase|Wade law firm represents companies, businesses, and employers – exclusively.

We invite your attention to our disclaimer.

“Employed in an agricultural occupation,” means any of the following described occupations:

  • The preparation, care, and treatment of farm land, pipeline, or ditches, including leveling for agricultural purposes, plowing, discing, and fertilizing the soil;
  • The sowing and planting of any agricultural or horticultural commodity;
  • The care of any agricultural or horticultural commodity,; as used in this subdivision, “care” includes, but is not limited to, cultivation, irrigation, weed control, thinning, heating, pruning, or tying, fumigating, spraying, and dusting;
  • The harvesting of any agricultural or horticultural commodity, including but not limited to, picking, cutting, threshing, mowing, knocking off, field chopping, bunching, baling, balling, field packing, and placing in field containers or in the vehicle in which the commodity will be hauled, and transportation on the farm or to a place of first processing or distribution;
  • The assembly and storage of any agricultural or horticultural commodity, including but not limited to, loading, road siding, banking, stacking, binding, and piling;
  • The raising, feeding and management of livestock, fur bearing animals, poultry, fish, mollusks, and insects, including but not limited to herding, housing, hatching, milking, shearing, handling eggs, and extracting honey;
  • The harvesting of fish, as defined by Section 45 of the Fish and Game Code, for commercial sale;
  • The conservation, improvement or maintenance of such farm and its tools and equipment.
307