SHRM Quotes Adam Belzberg and Wes Miliband on the Effects of Drought on California's Agricultural Labor Market

Attorneys Adam Belzberg and Wes Miliband were quoted in a Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) article titled “California Drought Has Wide-Ranging Effects in Business Community.” The article examines the effects of California’s long-lasting drought on the state’s job market, specifically on the agricultural and food manufacturing sectors.

Belzberg describes how overall farm employment has actually been increasing, as producers have shifted to crops that are more labor intensive, with some growers resorting to the H-2A guest worker program because of the resulting labor shortage.

Miliband, meanwhile, discusses the potential impact of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, enacted in 2014, on farm employment. He notes it could affect growers using groundwater from basins that haven’t been adjudicated--but that are deemed to be either high-priority or medium-priority. Employment levels might decline if these growers have less water and, in turn, fewer acres to harvest. Even under those conditions, Miliband added, employment levels could remain stable or grow if more labor-intensive crops are used.