News » 29.08.2024 - US: Family-owned greenhouse business taps federal grant to address labor challenges

 

Puckett Greenhouses, in the small community of Ararat near the North Carolina state line, has more than 50 greenhouses where it grows hanging plants, vegetable starters and fruit trees. It manufactures greenhouses and sells equipment for greenhouse maintenance and repair.

And it was recently awarded a $200,000 federal grant as part of a new program aimed at improving working conditions and housing for agricultural employees. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Labor Stabilization and Protection Pilot Program was first announced in September 2023 with a goal to "improve the resiliency of the U.S. food supply chain by addressing agriculture labor challenges and instability, strengthen protections for farmworkers, and expand legal pathways for labor migration," according to a June news release.

Puckett Greenhouses plans to put the money toward three main goals: establishing a collaborative working group to improve communication among employees, implementing a new system for ensuring that the housing maintenance needs of its seasonal immigrant workers are met, and creating a bonus program for employees.

The company plans to begin implementing the three new programs when its next group of seasonal employees arrive, which Payne said is tentatively scheduled for mid-January."The whole program is about stabilizing the agricultural labor force and bettering the jobs and working environment of the agriculture labor force," said co-owner Amy Lane.

 

Source: www.cardinalnews.org
 

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