NEW LATINO FARMERS IN THE
Juan Marinez and
Latino immigrants and ex-migrant farmworkers are
increasingly becoming crop producers in the
Van
Van Buren County is a major agricultural area situated
in Southwest Michigan, along the
Van Buren County, one of 82 counties in the state,
leads
Originally inhabited
by the Potawatomi, a large number of immigrants, foreign and native-born, have
settled in the county since its creation in 1836 (Anonymous, Van Buren County,
Michigan – MultiMag, 2001). According
to Census 2000, 76,263 residents resided in Van Buren County at the turn of the
century (US Census Bureau, QT-P3. Race
and Hispanic or Latino: 2000, 2002). The population increased by a little over
nine percent or 6,203 inhabitants since the 1990 decennial census (US Census
Bureau, DP-1. General Population and
Housing Characteristics: 1990,
2002). The majority, nearly 88 percent were
classified as White, a little over seven percent, Latinos, and the remainder,
Asians, Native Americans, and others.
Latinos increased from 2,254 to 5,634 residents from 1990 to 2000, an
increment of near 150 percent, while the African-American population, the
largest minority group in the county until Census 2000, decreased from 4,690 to
4,001 inhabitants, a decline of nearly 15 percent (US Census Bureau,
QT-P3. Race and Hispanic or Latino: 2000, 2002).
Latinos became the second largest ethnic group in Van Buren County in
2000, surpassing the African-American population by 1,633 people or by a little
over 40 percent (US Census Bureau, QT-P3.
Race and Hispanic or Latino:
2000, 2002). Found in all the
communities of the county, the largest concentrations of Latinos are in and
around
These census figures, it should be noted, do not
include the thousands of migrant workers who harvest crops in Van Buren County
from April through October. Annually,
farms in Van Buren County hire anywhere from 8,000 to 8,500 farmworkers (Willie
Dominguez, personal communication, 2001).
Migrants, who make up the majority of the paid farm labor force in the
county, begin to arrive, alone or with their families, in early April and move
from one farm to another picking blueberries, cucumbers, or other produce until
late October (Willie Dominguez, personal communication, 2001). During these months, when they are not
harvesting and packaging, they also weed, prune, and irrigate (Felipe Llerena,
personal communication, 2001). In
October, at the end of the harvests, some migrants move on to other regions of
the country and continue working, while others return to
Latino Farmers in Van Buren County
Thirty-one of the estimated 34 Latino farmers in Van
Buren County were included in the USDA study.
These farmers are Mexican immigrants and ex-Tejano migrant. The immigrants are ex-peasants from the state
of Michoacán in central
The Latino farmers range in age from 26 to 64 years with the majority in their thirties and forties. Nearly all, except for three, are males. The three women own blueberry farms. Education wise, the Tejanos have received more of a formal education than their Mexican counterparts. Some of the Tejanos have attended college.
Twenty-two of the 31 Latino farmers grow blueberries, others corn, grapes, and apples. Twenty of the 22 Latino blueberry farmers cultivate 835 acres. Together, members of the Llerena family grow blueberries on 541 acres, nearly 65 percent of the known Latino held blueberry acreage. Five other Latino families grow blueberries on significant holdings, respectively on 65, 40, 40, 35, and 30 acres. The remaining ten Latinos grow blueberries on 20 acres or less.
Latinos purchase small blueberry farms knowing that the acreage will not yield enough to support their families. For them, the farm is more than a business enterprise; it is also a means for pursing a traditional way of life. Since their smallholdings do not generate farm sales sufficient enough to support a family with children, nearly all of the Latino farmers are employed off the farm. Both husband and wives work for local food processors, light manufacturing, and service industries in the county. Besides an income, employment off the farm also provides some of them with medical insurance and other benefits. Occasionally, some of the Latino farmers also work as farmworkers in the area, helping out their kinsmen and friends during peak harvest periods.
Obstacles
Buying blueberry farms and staying in business is not easy for Latino farmers or, for that matter, any prospective producer. The Latino farmers—blueberry growers and non-blueberry growers alike—cited a number of difficulties in breaking into farming. The salient ones are as follows:
Purchasing a Farm. Today, as in the past, a major obstacle in getting started is acquiring a farm or land to be cleared for crop production. Farmland is costly to purchase in Van Buren County. The going price for a blueberry farm ranges from $5,000 to $7,500 per acre. Operation expenditures also add to startup costs. Such expenditures range from $1,500 per acre, if the berries are mechanically harvested, to $3,500 per acre, if harvested by hand. As a group, Latinos have a difficult time obtaining loans, including government guaranteed loans. Low incomes, together with poor or non-existent credit ratings, often make them ineligible for loans.
Technology Availability. Some of the younger Latino farmers in Van Buren County, mainly Tejanos, viewed the lack of access to Internet services in the area as an obstacle. They argue that they are not able to have access to farming information on-line.
Familiarity with Crops in Van Buren County. Mexican immigrant farmers were not familiar with blueberries, apples, grapes, and other crops grown in Van Buren County, but learned how to cultivate them upon buying their farms. Tejanos, on the other hand, learned about these crops as migratory workers in the area and were familiar with them when they became growers.
Language and Culture. Language and cultural differences between Latino farmers and the larger society was another challenge identified in the interviews. It is difficult to set up a farm or any other business in a foreign language. Starting a business involves complex arrangements, paperwork, knowledge of regulations, and markets and institutions that provide technical and financial assistance. The majority of the Latino farmers are monolingual Spanish-speakers with limited English comprehension. Embarrassed by their accents and grammatical errors, the small numbers of Latinos who speak English prefer not to use it. A couple of them also mentioned that racism and discrimination, aggravated by a recent rise in nativism, was also a barrier. They felt excluded from activities and membership in local organizations because of their ethnicity.
Participation in USDA Programs. Latino farmers in Van Buren County make minimal use of USDA programs. The majority of them, except those who have been growing crops for a decade, do not know of their availability. Mexican immigrant farmers in particular have little contact with agricultural extension and other USDA agencies. Some of them feel uncomfortable attending USDA sponsored meetings and workshops held in the English language. Others, as a result of a public backlash against immigrants, are under the misconception that they are ineligible to participate in federal programs. There is also a distrust of government among some of the Latino farmers.
Regardless of the reasons
given for not participating, when asked how USDA may assist them in their
farming operations, they made the following recommendations:
Social Capital Networks & Overcoming Farming
Obstacles
Latino farmers in Van Buren County are using social
capital to obtain resources for purchasing farms and growing crops. This capital consists of social relationships
among individuals and groups that are useful in obtaining economic
resources. Based on trust and
reciprocity, these relationships are organized around kinship, friendship, or
other significant social ties in the community.
The use of social capital for business startups is common among
immigrants, ethnic minorities, and other groups with limited capital. They have learned that their status in
society does not always give them access to formal institutions and their resources. Excluded, they have come up with their own
institutions, such as social networks that serve a similar purpose. These social ties are used to obtain capital
and other production-related resources to enter and stay in farming.
Social relationships, or networks, among the Latino
farmers are primarily based on a circle of kin and close friends of confianza or trust. Four social networks of Latino farmers were
identified in Van Buren County. All four
of them are organized around influential Latino farmers. One of the networks is comprised of an apple
grower (
Social networks are
also not site-specific; that is, they include persons and groups outside of Van
Buren County. As discovered, they also
include family members and friends that reside in
Two of the four Latino farmer social networks in Van Buren County are presented as case studies in the report. Both of them are bridging social networks. Such networks are large and diverse. They consist of kin and other community members, and resource allocation is not restricted to family and close friends but includes others. The other two networks, not presented as case studies, are bounding social networks. Such networks are small and relatively homogeneous. They center around immediate family members and other close kinsmen, and resources are shared with them before anyone else.
Both types of social networks—bridging and bounding—are conduits for the flow of a number of resources. These resources are as follows:
Information. Information about farming is important in getting started and staying in farming. New farmers seek and receive advice regarding pesticide and herbicide applications, plant disease threats, caring for the blueberry bush and berries, and marketing.
Land. In Van Buren County, it is scarce. Some of the Mexican immigrant farmers have
come up with creative ways, such as practicing presta
nombres and collaborate production arrangements with kinsmen, for
obtaining farmland.
Labor Sharing.
Labor sharing is another resource within social networks. During the harvest, when labor is scarce,
members of the same social circle, or group, share workers.
Loans/Financial Assistance. Money, similar to land, is a scarce resource and not made available to everyone in a social network. Loans are seldom made outside of the immediate family. The same is true for co-signing on a loan.
Other Farming Resources. Other farming inputs, such as fertilizer and machinery, are also made available to group members. There is the expectation that the individual being assisted in this fashion will do the same in the future.
Mutual Assistance.
Mutual aid consists of lending a helping hand when needed. Network members help harvest, repair
machinery, or plant blueberry bushes.
Conclusion
The Latino farmers in Van Buren County have accomplished much using social capital. Through their social ties, they have managed to obtain resources to buy farms, increase their production, and stay in farming. Some of them, mainly the English-speaking Tejanos, have also used USDA programs to meet these objectives. Despite the need, however, Mexican immigrants do not participate in USDA programs and, as a result, do not use resources that they subsidize through their tax contributions. These programs would help them stay in farming, grow food, and provide employment to local and migrant farmworkers.
Latinos in Van Buren County and elsewhere in the