Heat Wave Bakes Farmers as Democrats Urge Action: Farm Brief

Good afternoon Farm Brief readers, this week we’ll take a look at two labor issues especially pressing in the agricultural industry. And next week Congress and this newsletter are in recess, so send farm bill and agriculture appropriations tips my way if you have ‘em: switley@bloombergindustry.com.

As farm workers across the US toiled under blazing temperatures this week, House members used the summer’s first major heat wave to highlight slow-moving federal regulations that would bolster worker protections in hot conditions.

A man working on a farm in Homestead, Florida, during a July 2023 heatwave that posed serious health risks.

Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration began work on a national standard for workplace heat exposure-protections ...