Weather Forecast: highs in the mid-50s, 50% chance of rain.
I've been keeping an eye on the weather this week while deciding what we might be able to help you learn on the farm with us! If the weather holds and it stays dry for your farm times, I think we'll spend some time in the orchard this week so that you can learn about tree fruit.
We've talked about a couple of different methods of partnering with plant reproduction thus far, through seed stewardship of annual and biennial plants and through the vegetative reproduction of potatoes through their tubers. Fruit trees give us a chance to look at a different way of working with plants through grafting. Again, the same questions arise around responsible and respectful stewardship: how do we honor and protect the inherent possibilities within natural biodiversity as we partner with these plants to select for varieties that best meet the needs of our human communities? This film gives a quick overview of how we ended up with the apple varieties that are currently common and traces their history back to the wild apples of Kazakhstan:
https://vimeo.com/114449609
When you are out on the farm this week, we'll talk a bit about the apple varieties we are growing and give you a grafting demonstration to show you how you can propagate your own fruit trees. Some folks are even using grafting techniques to bring fruit into city food deserts:
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/04/07/150142001/guerrilla-grafters-bring-forbidden-fruit-back-to-city-trees
Growing tree fruit commercially is highly labor intensive. The season begins with planting and pruning, then spring fungicide and insecticide applications begin. In late spring and early summer, blossoms and young fruits must be thinned. In mid-summer harvest begins and carries through late fall. Much of this labor is provided by migrant workers. The work is physically demanding in itself and the exposure to orchard chemicals adds another layer of health effects.
This report is an overview of issues facing farm workers in Michigan. Please read the abstract and table of contents, skim the whole report, and then choose one section to read more carefully and thoughtfully.
https://jsri.msu.edu/upload/publications/research-reports/RR59%20final.pdf
I hope that perhaps one or two of you might choose to center one of our Wednesday classes around farm worker issues so that we have a chance to explore this situation in more depth.
Before coming to the farm this week, please answer the following questions in the comments section:
1) What did you know about apples prior to watching the "Wild Apples" documentary?
2) What was the most interesting thing you learned about apples from the documentary?
3) What questions do you have after watching the documentary?
4) What did you know about Kazakhstan prior to watching the documentary?
5) What did you know about migrant labor in Michigan prior to reviewing the linked report? Where did you learn this?
6) What section of the report did you choose to focus on in your reading? Why?
7) What questions do you have after reading the report?
1) Not much, really! During my childhood, we would always climb crab apple trees so I knew that there were different kinds. I also have been to a few orchards so I've seen the different kinds of apples. But I did not know just how many varieties there are!
ReplyDelete2) I thought the final panel in the movie was really interesting, where they stated that it is illegal to transport organic matter and although this can protect a country from exploitation, it also commodifies land/plants. I had not really considered this commodification before and always found it strange that they ask you at customs if you have any fruits, etc. I always thought of it as an issue of disease maybe, but not as that kind of commodification or imposed ownership. I also really appreciated the analogy that one of the interviewees made about apple breeds being like picking your favorite children and investing in them, as well as the point that eventually different kinds adapt and maybe die out and it is okay to welcome a new kind of apple.
3) What is the history behind the kinds of apples I regularly eat? I'd also like to know more about the cultural history of different kinds of apples specifically in Germany.
4) Next to nothing.
5) I had heard a fair bit about migrant labor here through friends and professors. I was aware that this labor is ongoing (especially for fruits I think?) and that conditions can be really bad, as one might expect. I had also heard stories from friends who had classmates that were the children of migrant laborers, who would be in school for part of the year and then be absent for another big chunk, which seemed to be pretty detrimental to their education and social experience in that school (for example, my friend told me that professors would not put as much time and effort into those students because they assumed they would be leaving shortly).
6) I focused on the Vulnerable Children, since this is an area that I do not know much about and I love working with kids.
7) Why are other protections besides trying to ensure childcare assistance not coming into question? While this is an important step, the issue of migrant child labor is clearly much larger than that -- it also goes into the treatment and wages of their parents, etc. Also, I'm think about how the involvement of children can cause something to be treated as more drastic. For example, the article stated "There are many barriers that negatively impact the lives of farmworkers and, perhaps more importantly, those of their children." Obviously child labor is detrimental and there should be protections for kids, but I'm struggling with this "more importantly". I have tried to put it into words multiple times now but the thoughts are not coming out quite clearly enough so maybe we can think more about this together in class.
1. Prior to watching the documentary, I don’t believe I have any specific knowledge regarding apples and their growth. I remember going to apple orchards throughout Michigan and enjoying cider and donuts in the fall, so I know it is a profitable industry in our region. Just by walking through the grocery store I know there are different varieties, although I am sure we have lost a lot of biodiversity of apples as well.
ReplyDelete2. It was surprising to hear the farmers and the ways in which they spoke about diversity in the marketplace. Specifically, how customers were overwhelmed by the variety and fell back on the apple they knew, and thus how diversity was not economically beneficial.
3. This documentary took a different approach to sharing information than some of the others we watched, leaving me with more questions than answers. How many varieties are there globally? How do the new varieties come about? What is the relationship humans have had with apples over time? To what extent are apples threatened by climate change and loss of biodiversity?
4. I did not know anything about Kazakhstan before watching the documentary, I just knew it was a place, but I couldn’t even identify it on a map.
5. I know migrant labor in Michigan is very prominent, especially in the southwest region of the state, but is often an unknown and unseen population. As with most migrant workers globally, they are underpaid, not respected, and are given horrible housing conditioning. Further, there is often a language barrier that prevents these individuals from obtaining the compensation they rightfully deserve. The knowledge I have of this population is because two of the women who I lived with last year worked at Farmworker Legal Services and did their respective SIPs on some facet of what they learned there.
6. I chose the section “Food (In)Security” as it is a topic we have touched on several times in class with the intent in further educating myself on other populations who food insecurity touches. Here, we see a population who is crucial in the provision of food, but with lack of pay among other things who are unable to enjoy the benefits of their own labor.
7. Although interesting, I wished the section divulged deeper into the issue. They noted the effects on children within families who are food insecure, but what about the physical and mental health of those working in the field performing hard labor for long days while malnourished and hungry?
1) What did you know about apples prior to watching the "Wild Apples" documentary?
ReplyDeleteBefore watching this doc, I had a little knowledge about apple trees, but no idea about how to care for them or propagate them. Since I was a kid we have had an apple orchard because of the previous stewards of our property, but since my parents didn't have any formal knowledge on the care of apple trees, many of them have died off or have fallen, etc. I could, however, tell the difference between the crab apples and the sweet ones. Different colors of fruit, different tree heights and growth patterns.
I feel bad that my family hasn't been able to take care of those trees, and now they are getting so old that the fruit that they bear is a lot different than when I was a kid.
2) What was the most interesting thing you learned about apples from the documentary?
One of the most interesting things I learned from the doc was the sheer amount of possibilities that exist in varieties of apple and how much the market is controlled by people's arbitrary attractions to apples (esp. aesthetic). I didn't realize the impact of that relationship on the biodiversity of apples. I remember as a kid wonder why our apples were so different from the ones at the store... but just chalked that up to them being more 'organic'. Which isn't untrue, but not true either.
Also, seeing the apples that were as small as cherries was amazing!! wow! so cool.
3) What questions do you have after watching the documentary?
After watching this doc, I wonder what the cultural phenomena is behind Germany having such an interest in so many kinds of apple? Why did that develop there? Also I wish there had been more history about Kazakhstan in the doc, it felt so so brief.
4) What did you know about Kazakhstan prior to watching the documentary?
I knew next to nothing. I really only had a vague idea of where it was on a map, and that was it.
5) What did you know about migrant labor in Michigan prior to reviewing the linked report? Where did you learn this?
I knew that many migrant workers came to Michigan to help with annual fruit harvests. Cherries, blueberries, apples, grapes, etc. I learned some of this from family, who also participated in these cycles, and school work that centered the experiences of migrant workers in the US. Also when I was studying in Mexico, I met quite a few people who migrated to the midwest to work. It was... interesting ( I hate that word) and really difficult to take in.
6) What section of the report did you choose to focus on in your reading? Why?
I chose to read the current situation portion. I felt as though that would be a great jumping off point, and the information for the report that would have more cohesive conclusions.
7) What questions do you have after reading the report?
The questions I have are: How have these things changed? What are ways we can change the methods of agriculture to stop it from perpetuating so much violence upon people? what is morality in the context of farming/agriculture/etc.
1) Prior to watching this documentary, I don’t really know much about wild apples. As far as I know, most of the apples that are edible come from an apple orchard. The only encounter that I have with “wild apples” is pruning crabapple trees in my backyard or from landscaping. Other than that, I do not have much knowledge about wild apples.
ReplyDelete2) I find it very interesting that several of the apple varieties can be traced back into a selected few strain of apples. These varieties could also be preserved or integrated into a different variety through grafting or other propagation techniques.
3) How does grafting/propagation techniques work? Additionally, how do farmers selectively preserve these specific traits of apples?
4) I did not know anything about Kazakhstan prior to the documentary.
5) I knew that migrant work at a farm generally is very labor-intensive and lacks a lot of legal protection. I didn’t know that these issues are prominent in the mid-west region. Most of the information I know related to these topics mainly come from the internet or social media platform.
6) I chose to read about the food insecurity section. It’s just quite bothersome to realize that these workers and children invest so much of their lives growing fresh produce, yet they still do not have access to nourish themselves with food.
7) Are there any community supports or programs for these migrant workers? What are the legal rights and protections for the children of these migrant workers?
1) Before the documentary, I knew primarily about Johnny Appleseed bringing apples to various places around the United States. I knew that you had to graft a tree to get the same variety and I knew that specific varieties were used for specific purposes (pies, cider, etc.). I knew wild apples trees grow, but they are rather rare and don't tend to produce much fruit (or the deer eat it up).
ReplyDelete2) I didn't realize that there were so many varieties and that there were "original" wild varieties of apples. It was really interesting to see the older trees and the environments that they created as they aged and began falling apart, yet also providing life and habitats for various animals. I also found it interesting that apples are so widespread across the globe, yet it is still primarily three varieties that people buy.
3) I know you can only get the exact same apple by grafting, but do people let the trees breed themselves and save the seeds? Or is that too risky? (In my view I thought that would make for stronger plants, but I'm not entirely sure). Also do all apple trees produce pink blossoms? Or are there different shades/colors?
4) Interestingly, I had just met a guy who lived in Kazakhstan for a time. We talked about roundabouts and he said that it was annoying that the rule is that you yield to those on the outside coming, making the flow difficult. I knew that they primarily speak Russian and were a part of the Soviet bloc. But for some reason I thought it was primarily desert... I definitely didn't know that there were some very old apple trees there!
5) What did you know about migrant labor in Michigan prior to reviewing the linked report? Where did you learn this?
6) I chose to focus on the part about foreign-born workers because that has been such a hot-button topic and I wanted to know more about the actual reality/statistics surrounding it. It was interesting to read that many families are settling down in Michigan, likely due to stricter laws regarding immigration. I also found it interesting (although I kinda already knew this), that seasonal workers are a neccesary part of the workforce, often doing jobs/labor that is unable to be mechanized and that many people are unwilling to do (once again blasting the fallacy that migrant/seasonal workers are stealing American jobs). However, I didn't realize that often the families are so food insecure and often exposed/effected by chemicals so often.
7) I was wondering if there were any continuing resources offered to migrant/seasonal workers regarding ESL or other education for adults (I know there are school age programs), and if there were any programs to encourage teens/high school age to continue their education, and also give them the opportunity to work and help their families. I also wonder how many employers are aware of the food insecurity/chemical effects (this may be unanswerable), and if they could do anything to change it (obviously higher wages and better living conditions would be the biggest help). I also wonder if this report/similar items are often shared to the general public, because I know somewhere near Kalamazoo an employer was looking to build new housing for H-2A workers and the people were pushing back because they were afraid that it could make the area dangerous (a bunch of single men staying nearby...I'm not saying it made total sense, but people were very concerned.). It seems like some of the issues could be solved if more people read/were taught reports like these.
1) I didn't know much about apples before watching the documentary! Growing up, one of my neighbors had an apple tree in their backyard, and we would climb it and pick the apples, but I always thought they were too sour. Now that I think about it, it was probably grafted because (if my memory serves me right) it had a large bulge in the trunk near the bottom, showing the spot where the graft was placed.
ReplyDelete2) Something I found interesting about the documentary was the sheer vastness of apple varieties. I think I remember someone saying there were around 2000 different varieties in Germany? Again, my memory might be off, but that is still many more than I had first believed. I knew wild apple trees were often too sour to eat and that all sweet apples had to be grafted to be regrown. However, I believed the chances of finding a sweet variety in the wild was super rare, and therefore there were only a handful of good eating apple varieties in existence. It makes sense that there are many more that you can't find in the store, considering all that I have learned so far in this class.
3) I'm sure most of the people who went to grade school in the US have learned about Johnny Appleseed who spread apples across the continent by planting seeds everywhere he went. I wonder what the actual story behind Apple cultivation in the US is? Who did it, and under what contexts? To who's benefit, and at who's expense?
4) I know Kazakhstan is a country in the inland Asian continent. I had no idea that apples originally come from this region of the world, and I really didn't know much about Kazakhstan before watching this documentary.
5) When I think of migrant labor in the US, I tend to think of it happening mostly in the southwest, in states from California to Texas. Considering Michigan's number of farmlands, however, I shouldn't be surprised to hear that it relies on labor from migrant workers. I did not grow up in Michigan or in a rural area, so I am not familiar with it first hand, but I can imagine working conditions are not ideal, especially since people with migrant statuses are more vulnerable to being taken advantage of.
6) I chose to focus on the section of the report "Programs Serving Michigan Farmworkers" because I was curious to see what kinds of protections were in place for migrant farmworkers in Michigan. I found two different problems being addressed. The first is about childcare provided "to alleviate the negative effects of their migrant lifestyles". While I understand the goals to keep children from laboring in the fields with their parents, I also wonder what kinds of things these services teach considering the US's long history of (often forcefully) acclimating children of color into US white culture at the expense of their own and all the while ignoring the needs of the parents trying to raise a healthy family. The other thing being addressed is the issue of housing. Many housing situations have been found not up to code and lacking decent facilities for comfortable and healthy living. This is something the state has trouble addressing since many of the workers are not documented, and only documented workers may reside in state housing facilities. Otherwise, it is up to the planters to provide the housing.
7) I get the impression that the programs in place for migrant farmworkers in Michigan are just band-aids. What kinds of changes would we need in order to see a more just farm labor system? Would anything need to change in our overreaching food systems in the US in order to have this vision realized?
1) Prior to watching this documentary, the only wild apples I had known were crab apples, which I think caused me to really distance wild apples from the big, sweet ones my parents and I would often pick at a large orchard in the fall.
ReplyDelete2. I was found the economics of apples to be really interesting. I had vaguely known that there are a dizzying variety of apples and even participated in the confusion of seeing a new variety, but hadn't considered my impact on their biodiversity. It makes a lot of sense that large scale trade of lesser known varieties could seem very risky, given what feels like the public's strong nostalgia for particular varieties. I definitely want to start trying new ones now!
3. After watching the documentary, I am wondering why Germany has seemed to become an apple Mecca, as well as how old a single apple tree can actually be (maybe it depends on the variety?). I also want to better understand the science of creating these hybrid varieties and how old some of our favorite types actually are.
4. Prior to watching the film, I knew that Kazakhstan was a beautiful hiking destination, so it was cool to see this national park functioning also as a preserve for these apples that people could potentially eat while hiking.
5. Prior to reviewing this report, I knew a bit about the conditions based on my very limited participation in a volunteer program in which we helped migrant workers' children learn to read. Therefore I had seen one style of housing, which were a series of small apartments. I also had my eyes opened to the horrendously exploitative conditions of migrant work in my first year seminar.
6. I chose the section on children because I did not realize that some are actually participating in the same farm work as their parents. It is so disheartening but then again accurate to say that the media and public attention move from one issue to the next, so it is not safe to say that because this was documented, that it is not still happening.
7. This report has made me think more about the how migrant work has changed in the Trump era, both in terms of conditions and the point made about potential hostility towards workers within the sometimes quite remote communities in which they are staying. I guess I'm just thinking about the climate now versus when I first began to learn about it prior to his election. But maybe it is ignorant to think that community hostility has significantly increased...those antagonists have always existed, and maybe now we are just increasingly aware of them. And I just am thinking a lot about kids I went to school with who were only in Michigan half the year and then returned usually to Texas for the winter. What programs are in place for middle school and high school-aged kids? Do some of the programs listed cover them too?
1. The only thing I knew about Apple's came from my botany class--so my knowledge was restricted to more biological things. Some of these things are about the way that the flesh of an apple is a reproductive part (if I remember correctly) and that some varieties are self pollinating.
ReplyDelete2. I was struck by the statement by the German shop owner who spoke about the importance of stocking varieties that are more commonplace because of people's tendency to get overwhelmed if more is offered. This reminded me of the conversation the morning crew had at the farm last week about things being grown for consumption rather than for sustenance, stewardship, and survivance.
3.after watching the documentary, I think I would like to know more about what happens to strains domestically that don't fit the market. I also want to research more about the apples we find more palatable and acceptable and why.
4. I didn't know much about Kazakhstan except that it gained independence as Soviet union crumbled and that my friend (named Karina too) is an immigrant from the nation.
5. I knew that in Michigan, the demand for labor is intense considering the endeavors that take place to feed the country, in this state. My minor connections to farmworker legal services and my organizing efforts with Michigan United really allowed me to communicate with many farmworkers and understand that many issues facing immigrants as a whole in the US are also present here--the same treatment, sentiments, and conditions are present everywhere and are indicative of a larger issue.
6. I chose to read the section entitled Vulnerable Children simply because I didn't like the wording. I take issue with the idea of a vulnerable child vs a predatory system. Small mini language change that really indicates where the root of this issue is and how this is a part of an extremely large, ludicrous system.
7. I wonder who they hold accountable when children are found on farms. I wonder if our enforcing agencies think beyond the immediate issue and focus on how this is bigger than all of us. I wonder how confused hurt and strong those children are.
1) What did you know about apples prior to watching the "Wild Apples" documentary?
ReplyDeleteMy knowledge about apples is very limited. I have visited an apple orchard pretty much every fall since I was young, but never learned that much about apple growing. This past fall, I was able to attend an apple dinner at a farm outside of Madison, Wisconsin. It is hosted by an apple farm and they bring in a local chef and do a big dinner. While there I remember learning about many different varieties that they were growing. What I remember best are the various uses. One of my favorites were the “purse apples,” a very small and sweet variety that women used to carry in their purses to prevent bad breath.
2) What was the most interesting thing you learned about apples from the documentary?
I thought it was really cool how we were shown the grandparents to all the apples we know today. Its amazing how so much has come from that one variety.
3) What questions do you have after watching the documentary?
After watching the documentary, I am curious how grafting actually occurs. Also, I would love to know more about apple lineage. How did we get so many varieties worldwide?
4) What did you know about Kazakhstan prior to watching the documentary?
I knew basically nothing.
5) What did you know about migrant labor in Michigan prior to reviewing the linked report? Where did you learn this?
I pretty well informed on the condition and problematics of migrant labor in Michigan just from growing up here and talking about it with my parents. Additionally, two of my friends have worked at Farmworker Legal Services. They taught me a lot about the horrifying conditions that these workers live in and the ways in which the legal system often fails these people.
6) What section of the report did you choose to focus on in your reading? Why?
I chose to read the Food (In)Security section. While we have talked about this topic quite a bit in class, but I was really struck by the fact that “those that produce the nation’s food are among the most likely to be hungry or food insecure.” This makes absolutely no sense. Those working so hard to produce food for the entire country should be the last to be food insecure. I am reminded of Marx’s concept of alienation. These farm workers are so removed from their product and the means of production that they don’t even have enough to eat.
7) What questions do you have after reading the report?
How should we, then, conceptualize the relation between immigration and our current farming system? To improve the lives of farm workers, I imagine that we would have to take a two prong approach and address both of these issues. Even if we get better immigration policy and make it easier for people to work, the farming system is stacked against them.
1) What did you know about apples prior to watching the "Wild Apples" documentary?
ReplyDeleteI knew very little regarding apples prior to the documentary. Growing up in Michigan there are lots of apple orchards so I knew so basic information from visiting these orchards in fall. The trees were low to the ground and the apples came in a few varieties but nothing incredibly vast. Also I knew that eating one apple a day prevented you from seeking medical care ;)
2) What was the most interesting thing you learned about apples from the documentary?
I was very interested in the more ‘natural’ breeding process involved with grafting. The one woman made an excellent point about how when farmers continue to graft the exact same variety it’s like picking a favorite child and trying to make it live for 150 years.
3) What questions do you have after watching the documentary?
I am still very confused about the grafting process... for whatever reason it’s been a concept that’s a bit difficult to grasp.
4) What did you know about Kazakhstan prior to watching the documentary?
Not very much, really nothing. I thought it was incredibly beautiful in the film though! I never knew you could have such tall apple trees... and full grown apples that are so small and varied in flavor.
5) What did you know about migrant labor in Michigan prior to reviewing the linked report? Where did you learn this?
Too of my former roommates worked at Farm Worker Legal services a few summers ago so I learned a lot from them sharing their experiences. I also went to a SIP presentation about farm worker legal services last spring. I know that MÃchigan has a lot of seasonal migrant workers because of our weather. This can lead to a lot of moving around for the workers which can make it harder to enforce suitable conditions. I know that these are very vulnerable communities that come primarily from Central America, Mexico, and Haiti.
6) What section of the report did you choose to focus on in your reading? Why?
I chose to focus on the Food Insecurity section of the report. To me I can think of nothing more (tragically) ironic than the fact that the individuals producing our food can not afford to eat it themselves. That relationship says so much about our food system: both on the production and consumption side.
7) What questions do you have after reading the report?
I have been questioning ways to help these communities that does not further put the individuals themselves at risk. Immigration law in the US is tricky and often treacherous. So how do we help bring up the living standards of migrant workers without simultaneously threatening a part of the community because of immigration law.
1) What did you know about apples prior to watching the "Wild Apples" documentary?
ReplyDeletePrior to watching “Wild Apples”, I had little knowledge on how apples formed or how to propagate them. I knew that when I would wait for the bus growing up there was a crab apple tree that I would pick apples from and snack on. I also know that one time, I grabbed a bunch of crab apples, brought them home, and made a pie with my mom from them… it tasted amazing.
2) What was the most interesting thing you learned about apples from the documentary?
This most fascinating thing I learned from the documentary is just how many types of apple can be cultivated based on the preferences of the market. I did not realize how prominent apples were in different cultures throughout the world… yet it comes down to the three main varieties that people eat.
3) What questions do you have after watching the documentary?
What is the first documented case of grafting and propagation techniques? How would that information be passed down in a way that is so internationally practiced? Along what trade roots was knowledge shared?
4) What did you know about Kazakhstan prior to watching the documentary?
I was not familiar with Kazakhstan prior learning about it in the documentary.
5) What did you know about migrant labor in Michigan prior to reviewing the linked report? Where did you learn this?
I know that some of the farmers I worked under this summer used to higher migrant labor, but that it is a really complex process which does not offer much protection for the laborers and, on the other side of things, much additional support for the employers to help migrant workers even if they wanted to. “The Book of Unknown Americans” by Cristina HenrÃquez highlighted some of the horribly exploitive practices that go immigrant workers endure.
6) What section of the report did you choose to focus on in your reading? Why?
I knew that children would come over with their parents, but I had no idea that in many situations they were also sanctioned as workers with their parents. To me, this just highlights the purely exhaustive extent that immigrant bodies are utilized.
7) What questions do you have after reading the report?
Have food banks made special efforts to make their services more accessible for Spanish speaking individuals?
1) What did you know about apples prior to watching the "Wild Apples" documentary?
ReplyDeleteI remember watching the apples segment from Michael Pollen's Botany of Desire movie. It touches on similar things, if I can remember correctly, about the immense amount of diversity in apple varieties and of different farming techniques. I really liked how the Wild Apples film showed these different varieties grown in Germany along with the apple forests in Kazakhstan.
2) What was the most interesting thing you learned about apples from the documentary?
I was blown away by the quantity of different varieties. Thousands of different kinds of apples with different flavors, names, and characteristics.
3) What questions do you have after watching the documentary?
In the apple forest the guy eating the apple said they were not sweet. Are there some varieties in the forest that are much sweeter than others? How do these apples compare to what we are used to eating in the states?
4) What did you know about Kazakhstan prior to watching the documentary?
I had known someone who had lived there growing up. And I knew roughly where it was located on a map.
5) What did you know about migrant labor in Michigan prior to reviewing the linked report? Where did you learn this?
I worked on a horticulture farm last summer and a lot of the staff were seasonal/ migrant workers. I know that the company had built a house close to the farm that some of them lived in. The higher-up staff were very supportive and kind, and all of our work meetings were bilingual. But there was also an odd tension about citizenship status that became present. Due to anxieties on both sides, 'what to do about ICE' and 'migrant rights' type informational flyers were often placed around lunch room/ work spaces. It was a kind of thing that people knew about but didn't talk about out loud. I'm still not sure about many of the laws that are in place for or against these workers. I know many of them could not get paid in checks, so I hope they received the same wage I would expect.
6) What section of the report did you choose to focus on in your reading? Why?
I chose to focus on the 'Vulnerable Children' section. At the place I had worked last summer, I had noticed a boy (maybe 13-15) who would often come in to work alongside his Aunt. I wondered if he was too young to work legally but I am not sure if he really had another place he could be. The report mentions this later, but I still feel that children might not work due to financial reasons but more so due to lack of available childcare services. The parents are also 'vulnerable' and might not have or know of safe places to send their kids to while they are at work. Also, I overheard (I don't know if its true) that the boy was working for a bit and then was 'laid-off' because he wasn't really working most of the time. So he would kind of half-work and half-hang-out with his aunt.
7) What questions do you have after reading the report?
I am left wondering about the protections for migrant workers who do not have legal status? It seems like a very blurry and complicated line. If there are services available for migrant workers, I am also left wondering how many of them know about them and if they truly are able to provide a "safe" space for them to go to (legally, confidentially, etc.).
1) I knew the general idea that apples were selectively bred for very large fruit, and I knew the general idea of grafting.
ReplyDelete2) I found the age of some individual apple trees, and the continued existence of many older apple varieties, to be very interesting.
3) What are the best ways to create your own hardy, resistant apple crop?
4) Zilch
5) I knew some general issues from last summer, when I heard about Farmworker Legal from an intern there; I’ve also known some of the general patterns and treatment of migrant labor from a couple classes here.
6) Food (In)security. It has been mentioned in our class a few times, and the level of disconnect between what seems normal and what occurs is so great. What I mean by this is that it’s very counterintuitive to think of farm workers going hungry.
7) Could they provide even more clear, precise definitions, or reference the exact guidelines they’re dealing with, to give us a more complete picture?
1) I surprisingly actually knew a lot about apples because I grew up with a dad who is pretty much a fanatic. We had two large posters hanging in our kitchen when I was growing up- one was of the “classic” apples and another was of “modern” apple varieties. They were all pictured and labeled. When we would go to the market my dad would come home with several different types of bushels (often we would keep them in the garage to keep them fresh as we worked through them) and almost ceremonially every evening after dinner the peeling of at least six different apples would commence and we would have a sort of tasting between the three of us. My favorite was always honey crisps but every now and then there would be an especially good seasonal one. I used to bring an apple to school every day and trade them with a friend for something else as you can imagine how sick of them I was getting. But don’t tell my dad that. And now his orchard that he started a few years back is finally beginning to produce which has been a really exciting process for him full of ups and downs.
ReplyDelete2) I guess I didn’t realize many of the “mother” apple varieties started in kazakhstan- I found it so impressive that in that one National Park almost every tree had slightly different apples than the one next to it (very far off from how we harvest them these days) and how there were trees that must have been up to 1000 years old. I guess this isn’t specific to just apples but it’s saddening that if left alone, nature will produce a variety that is able to stand against everything going against it including critters and climate, and yet we spend so much money and energy defending these varieties that we want in areas that they are simply not suited to just to make it easier/more familiar for the consumer to know what they’re purchasing. It seems sort of as though Kazakhstan is left to do the hard work of maintaining biodiversity even though it is not profitable for many of them while the U.S. is reaping the benefits.
3) What questions do you have after watching the documentary?
I guess I’d like to know way more about grafting- I’m a little confused.
4) What did you know about Kazakhstan prior to watching the documentary?
ReplyDeleteNot much at all!
5) What did you know about migrant labor in Michigan prior to reviewing the linked report? Where did you learn this?
I actually knew a fair amount about migrant labor in Michigan after working/volunteering for Farmworker Legal Services the last few years. A lot of people don’t understand that the U.S. economy would literally go under without the support of migrant workers- not enough U.S. citizens are willing to do the grueling farmwork and growers profit tremendously from this. Additionally, due to working with mostly H2A workers I know what that guestworker contract entails and the potential dangers they can still be exposed to. Migrant workers are in one of the most vulnerable positions in society as they are being brought in and isolated/hidden from anyone who they don’t work with, many times exposed to a language barrier, and therefore can be easily taken advantage of on many accounts. I’ve been to many of these farms so I have a pretty clear image of how some of these issues play out even just half an hour from Kalamazoo. One of the biggest cases I worked on this summer was seventy plus workers against a company that had kept them in bed bug infested housing for two summers in conditions so awful that many workers suffered health issues and swore never to come back to Michigan again even if their lives depended on it. They would spend countless sleepless nights with the lights on itching their bodies to rashes- only to exacerbate their wounds with the powerful chemicals they were working with. One of the most difficult parts of working at FLS was clients (very understandably) distancing themselves from everything related to their experiences here after leaving, including seeking justice with us. In many cases, litigation would take up to three years for a very minor compensation that required them to continually revisit what had happened to them and their families- at a certain point they would usually lose touch with legal aid (whether voluntarily or involuntarily) and just accept that this was part of their fate as migrant workers in this country. Additionally, I’ve visited some of the head start programs in the area that cater mainly to migrant children and feel very drawn to how these migrant issues affect family dynamics. We spent a lot of time preparing mothers with the necessary documentation for if an ICE raid were to happen and they were to be separated from their children.
6) What section of the report did you choose to focus on in your reading? Why?
I chose to focus on the vulnerable children section as I figured it was the section I would know the least on, as most children cases went to MIRC, (Michigan Immigrant Rights Center) the non-profit we shared the office with. I also think that issues with migrant children are very close to my heart as I know that for them, many times they have no choice in the matter. It is such a crucial time in development as a person and all you can do is trust that your parents know best even though they may not understand many of the reasons at the time. Also from a psychological perspective, many of these children are being thrown into the workforce very early on when ideally at that age play should fundamentally be the work of a child.