Illinois Migrant Council


 
Illinois' Farmworkers

 
Who are
Illinois'
farmworkers?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 



Illinois plays a key role in the Midwest Migrant Stream of farmworkers which remains the largest of the three major migrant streams. 

IMC map of migrant stream

Close to 32,000 migrant and seasonal farmworkers seek agricultural employment annually in the State. Illinois' farmworkers migrate throughout the nation from Texas to Illinois to other Midwest states, from Illinois to Florida/East Coast to Texas, or from the West/Northwest Coast to Illinois to Texas. 

Generally, migrant farmworkers return to the same worksite year after year with several generations of the same family working the same company fields and following the same migrant path to Illinois. Seasonal farmworkers reside year round in Illinois but are underemployed - working only during the agricultural season.

There are an estimated 3,223 vegetable, fruit, sod and dairy farms, orchards and nurseries in Illinois which employ farmworkers seasonally. IMC primarily serves farmworkers in these types of agricultural work: planting, harvesting, hoeing, detassling, weeding, sowing, cultivating, bunching, picking, thinning, packing, loading. Agricultural crops are apples, peaches, cabbage, cantaloupes, bell peppers, pumpkins, corn, tomatoes, soybeans, asparagus, leaf lettuce, onions, beans, spinach, squash, berries, chives, radishes.


 
 Illinois' farmworkers


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Illinois Migrant Council (IMC)
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Last revised: February 18, 2000