Exploring Agricultural Census Undercounts Among Immigrant Hispanic/Latino Farmers with an Alternative Enumeration Project

Does the Agricultural Census Include All Hispanic/Latino Farmers?
By Victor Garcia, Professor of Anthropology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Juan Marinez, Michigan State University Extension

The following is an excerpt from an article that originally appeared in the Journal of Extension – October 2005

According to Agricultural Census 1997, Hispanics or Latinos (henceforth referred to as "Hispanics/Latinos") were the largest and fastest growing minority farmer group in the United States (USDA, 2000). In 1997, Hispanic/Latino farmers numbered nearly 28,000, an increase of 32%, or 8,870 farmers, from 1992 to 1997. As the National Agricultural Statistical Service (NASS) prepares to release the results of Agricultural Census 2002, Hispanic/Latino farmers, minority farmer advocates (e.g., Center for Latino Farmers and The Rural Coalition), and Extension agents are voicing their concerns about agricultural census undercounts among the Hispanic/Latino farmer population.

Recent research suggests that a segment of the Hispanic/Latino farmer population in particular may be at a high risk for not being included in the agricultural census (Garcia & Marinez, 2002). New immigrants, who do not seek assistance from the Farm Service Agency and other USDA providers or may not be familiar with the agricultural census, are likely to be missed. Other possible barriers, such as English language competence and illiteracy and informal farming arrangements, may also keep these and other Hispanic/Latino farmers from participating in agricultural censuses. The unintentional exclusion of these immigrants skews NASS Hispanic farmer profiles, or “statistical totals," that are used by USDA and other government agencies to generate priorities, write policies, and to develop regional and national programs aimed at helping farmers and ranchers.

Nationally and regionally, an undercount of Hispanic/Latino farmers in agricultural censuses also has consequences for Agricultural Extension. One problem is that Extension agents will not have reliable figures on the size and growth of this hard-to-reach farmer population. In fact, Extension agents, as we found, may not always be aware of their existence, if NASS figures do not bring this population to light (Garcia & Marinez, 2002). Another shortcoming is that unreliable figures, as a result of an undercount, will provide Extension agents with an unsound profile of Hispanic/Latino farmers in their region. Flawed information will keep them from developing new programs or tailoring existing programs to meet the needs of these farmers. Closely related, Extension agents will not be in a position to advocate for their Hispanic/Latino farmer clientele in programming and policy arenas because they will be unable to demonstrate need.

Immigrant Hispanic/Latino Farmers and Agricultural Census Participation

Hispanics/Latinos--mainly Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants--are the largest group of ethnic-minority farmers in the country. By far, they outnumber other immigrant groups, such as Cambodians and Ethiopians, who are also becoming farmers in unprecedented numbers. One of the largest concentrations of Hispanic/Latino farmers is found in the Southwest, but their numbers are also increasing outside of this region. In the Midwest and South, for example, Mexican immigrants--many of them ex-peasants and farm workers--are replacing aging White and African American producers whose children are not staying on the family farm but moving on and pursuing non-farm careers.

Possible Participation Barriers

Despite their eligibility, we found that the Mexican immigrant farmers, particularly recent arrivals, do not participate in USDA and Extension programs. In fact, the majority had little or no contact with local Extensions. Based on these findings, we suspect that the immigrants, particularly the newcomers, are not participating in the agricultural censuses. We believe the following to be barriers to their participation:

• Missing from USDA Mailing Lists: Surprisingly, we found that the majority of the recent Mexican immigrant farmers were not on the mailing lists of Cooperative Extension or Farm Service Agency--lists used by the USDA to mail agricultural census forms.
• Limited or No Knowledge of Agricultural Censuses: Many of the immigrant farmers, particularly newcomers to farming, are also not familiar with agricultural censuses. They are not aware that the censuses are held every 5 years and that all farmers are to participate.
• Language and Illiteracy Problems: Many of the immigrants are monolingual Spanish speakers who do not comprehend the English language. They also have limited or no formal education in their native language and, as a result, may be unable to read and write in Spanish. These language and literacy constraints may discourage immigrants from completing English language agricultural census forms and mailing them as instructed.
• Apprehension about USDA: Some immigrant farmers prefer not to deal with USDA, fearing that irregularities on the farm, such as the improper storage of pesticides and other chemicals, will be discovered. They also suspect that state assistance comes with strings attached. Believing this, they keep their distance from government agencies, irrespective of their needs.
• Immigration Status: Recently, as a result of the public backlash against immigrants and the call for excluding them from federally funded programs, some immigrant farmers, who are not U.S. citizens but legal permanent residents, are under the misconception that they are not to participate in the agricultural census, a federal government undertaking. Related to immigration is illegal judicial status; that is, residing and working in the country without proper immigration documents. These individuals live a clandestine existence and do not divulge their identity or location to government agencies for fear of deportation.
• Presta Nombres:' Another possible barrier is presta nombres (lending one's name). In this practice, family members with good credit obtain loans on the behalf of kinsmen and good friends who are ineligible. On paper, the loan holder appears as the farmer when in reality it is someone else who is farming. The agricultural census form is mailed to the loan holder as opposed to the actual farmer.
• Informal Farming Arrangements: Similarly, informal farming arrangements among immigrant farmers may be another obstacle. In these arrangements, one or two individuals appear as the sole owners on property deeds and other documents, when, in fact, there are others, usually kin, who are also farming on the property. They pool their resources, but farm and market their crops as independent producers.
• Farmers as Farmworkers: We have uncovered cases where producers, who are also farm laborers, consider themselves farmworkers because a significant portion of their income is derived from farm work. However, a close look at their farm production and sales reveals that they are also farmers and, given their farm sales, should be included in the agricultural censuses.

Some of these possible barriers are similar to those identified by the Census Bureau in its decennial censuses. Census studies (e.g., Brownrigg & Martin, 1992; Garcia, 1992; 1995) specifically designed to determine the causes of census undercounts among minority populations found that limited or no knowledge of the census, language and illiteracy problems, fear and apprehension of government agencies, and immigration status keep Hispanics/Latinos and other minority groups from participating in census enumerations and contributes to their undercount.

A Hispanic/Latino Farmer Alternative Enumeration

To assess the participation of Hispanic/Latino farmers and, more important, to improve their inclusion in future agricultural censuses, an alternative enumeration is needed. This enumeration--a Hispanic/Latino Farmer Alternative Enumeration--should have two basic objectives:

• To examine the omission of Hispanics/Latinos and
• To develop strategies for improving their inclusion.

Ideally, it should be conducted as soon as possible after Agricultural Census 2002 in order to capture all Hispanic/Latino farmers who were farming during the enumeration and target farm operators as defined in the census, i.e., persons who run the farm, making the day-to-day decisions, and produce $1,000 or more in agricultural products (crops and livestock) on the farm, which are sold or normally would have been sold during the year under consideration (NASS, 2002b). A delay in implementing the alternative enumeration may miss farmers who were farming in 2002 but have quit the business altogether or moved on to another region.

Hispanic/Latino Farmer Alternative Enumeration and Agricultural Census 2002

Similar to the Census Bureau's 1990 alternative enumeration, a Hispanic/Latino farmer alternative enumeration should be carried out nationwide after Agricultural Census 2002. However, given current financial constraints, a more modest undertaking may be more realistic. Instead, three or four sites in different parts of the country should be selected for pilot alternative enumeration. Care should be taken to include regions with an increasing number of new immigrant farmers, given that they are the largest group of new Hispanic/Latino farmers.

Culture-sensitive measures should be employed in locating and contacting Hispanic/Latino farmers in the selected alternative enumeration sites. Flyers and other mailings to get the word out do not work. Direct contact as opposed to indirect means should be used. Face-to-face relations are important in the culture of Hispanic/Latino farmers, particularly among the immigrants. The researchers or alternative enumerators should contact the farmers in person--visiting them in their homes or on their farms--and map their social networks. These networks in turn should be enlisted to get the word out about the alternative enumeration and to convince as many immigrant farmers as possible to participate in this worthwhile project.

Information that will allow the researcher to identify a Hispanic/Latino farmer in an agricultural census form should be gathered in the alternative enumeration. Essential information for this task is:

• Name of the Hispanic/Latino farmer
• His/Her address
• Agricultural sales
• Number of years in farming
• Type of crops and livestock sold
• Acreage holdings
• Ownership of acreage

This basic information will allow the researcher to identify a Hispanic/Latino farmer and to see if he or she participated in Agricultural Census 2002. As with the Census Bureau's alternative enumeration, omissions of farmers and discrepancies in the information gathered in both the alternative enumeration and the agricultural census should be noted and explained. The explanations are essential if we are to develop strategies for getting immigrants to participate in future agricultural censuses.

Conclusions

Hispanic/Latino immigrants are entering farming in unprecedented numbers. Many are not familiar with the agricultural census and its mission. This lack of knowledge, together with limited or no contact with USDA, keeps many from being included in the census. How many are not participating? We just do not know.

What is certain is that the omission of Hispanic/Latino farmers keeps NASS from coming up with an inaccurate profile of this growing farmer population, and in turn, a skewed profile prevents USDA from developing programs that serve these farmers. It also keeps Agricultural Extension from adequately advocating for and serving the needs of Hispanic/Latino immigrant farmers.

There is growing evidence that these immigrant farmers can benefit from USDA and its many agencies. Many of them are becoming indebted financially as they use their credit cards or high interest rate loans to farm and, in the worst of cases, falling into bankruptcy and losing their farms and homes. This problem and others identified in our study can be addressed effectively through USDA programs, but first we must know their actual numbers and needs. We strongly believe that new programs are not needed, at least, not until Hispanic/Latino farmers start to use existing USDA programs and we learn if they are beneficial.

References

Brownrigg, L. A & Martin, E. A. (1992, April). Proposed study plan for the ethnographic evaluation of the behavioral causes of undercount, Paper prepared for the Census Advisory Committee on Population Statistics at the Joint Advisory Committee Meeting, U.S. Bureau of the Census, Washington, DC.

Garcia, V. (1992). Results from an alternative enumeration in a Mexican and Mexican American farm worker community in California: Ethnographic evaluation of the behavioral causes of undercount. Final coverage report for Joint Statistical Agreement 89-29. Center for Survey Methods Research, Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce, Washington, DC.

Garcia, V. (1995). Finding and enumerating migrants in Mexican enclaves of the U.S. Northeast: The case of Southern Chester County, Pennsylvania. Report, Center for Survey Methods Research, Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce, Washington, DC.

Garcia, V. (2001). Generation X? Exploring civic engagement, government views, and census participation among Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants in Dallas, Texas. Report for Generation X Speaks Out on Causes, Surveys, and Civic Engagement project, Center for Survey Methods Research, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC.

Garcia, V. & Marinez, J. (2002). Farmworkers transition to farm ownership: Lessons from Mexican origin farmers in Southwestern Michigan. Final Report, Office of Outreach, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC.

National Agricultural Statistical Service (2002a). Frequently asked questions. Retrieved September 11, 2003 from http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census02/preliminary/census-faq.html.

National Agricultural Statistical Service (2002b). Report forms & instruction sheets. Retrieved September 11, 2003 from http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census02/reportforms/reportformsindex/html.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (2000). Quick facts. Characteristics of Hispanic farm operators. National Agricultural Statistics Service and Secretary's Hispanic Advisory Council.