Central Valley farmer says USDA’s Labor Day post ‘didn’t mention the true laborers’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- USDA omitted farmworkers from its Labor Day post, sparking criticism from farmers.
- Central Valley leaders stressed farmworkers' role in driving agricultural operations.
- Advocates linked omission to broader concerns over labor policy and immigration issues.
Central Valley farmer Joe L. Del Bosque was dismayed when the U.S Department of Agriculture’s post celebrating Labor Day on social media on Monday failed to mention farmworkers, a critical workforce for the region’s agriculture industry.
“This is Labor Day, and you didn’t mention the true laborers, the farmworkers,” Del Bosque commented on the USDA’s post. “As a farmer, I am dismayed.”
The USDA posted on Facebook and other social media platforms a collage of photos,, with “Happy Labor Day” in the middle of the collage.
“This Labor Day, we honor the hardworking farmers, ranchers, food safety inspectors, foresters, and wildland firefighters who work tirelessly to put food on our tables and protect our resources and communities,” the post read. “Your hard work contributes to the prosperity of our nation.”
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The USDA did not respond to a request for comment.
The Labor Day post highlighted tensions between the ag industry and President Donald Trump’s administration, the latter of which has sought to carry out mass deportations impacting the Central Valley’s agricultural workforce.
The region was among the regions that first experienced the federal government’s aggressive immigration enforcement efforts. In January, U.S. Border Patrol arrested 78 people during a three-day raid in Kern County. The ACLU sued Border Patrol on behalf of United Farm Workers, alleging that federal agents targeted people who looked Latino or farmworkers./
“Frankly, neglecting to thank farmworkers in a tweet is far from the most disrespectful thing the Trump administration has done,” said UFW President Teresa Romero. “Far worse are the constant raids terrorizing farmworker communities and the ongoing efforts to lower wages for farmworkers and expand an exploitative H2A guest worker program.”
Several others criticized the USDA’s post for not mentioning farmworkers.
“FARMWORKERS!! They do the backbreaking work of getting it out of the fields and orchards. Without them, we wouldn’t have functioning farms,” wrote Irene Merrill.
Del Bosque contrasted the USDA’s post with a Labor Day video message by California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross, who he said recognized “all the hardworking people of agriculture.”
In her video message, Ross thanked the “hardworking people who power California agriculture — famers, farmworkers, truck drivers, scientist, inspectors and our own California Department of Food and Agriculture team.”
While many took Labor Day off, people in California’s agricultural industry were out during “prime harvest time” working in hot temperatures, Ross said.
“This is what Labor Day is about, right? It’s about honoring the people that do the work in the country, not just agriculture. But if you’re going to do agriculture like USDA, you’ve got to include all the people that do the work in agriculture. And that includes a lot of our farmworkers,” Del Bosque said.
