Iowa farmers pay workers more than national average

Farm operators in Iowa and Missouri are paying the workers they hire more than the national average.

There were 34,000 workers hired directly by farms in the two states during the reference week of Oct. 11 through Oct. 17, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service. They were paid an average wage of $13.03 per hour, down 4 cents per hour from October 2014.

Iowa and Missouri field workers received an average wage of $12.82 per hour, up from $12.24 per hours in the same month of 2014. Livestock workers earned $12.48 per hour, up from $12.12 per hour in the reference week of October 2014.

The field and livestock worker combined wage rate, at $12.70 per hour, was up from $12.20 per hour in October 2014 reference week.

Iowa and Missouri farm operators hired 9,000 fewer workers in this year's reference week compared with the October reference week in 2014. The laborers worked an average 41 hours per week in October, up from 37.5 hours per week in October 2014.

Nationally, farm operators paid hired workers an average $12.82 per hour for the same period, up from $12.12 per hour in the USDA's October 2014 reference week.

Field workers received an average wage of $12.11 per hour and livestock workers earned $12.02 per hour. The field and livestock worker combined wage rate, at $12.09 per hour, was up 5 percent from October 2014.

For the October 2015 reference week, the largest increases in the number of hired workers from the previous year was recorded in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio and South Carolina.

The largest percentage decreases in the number of hired workers from the previous year occurred in Florida, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia. The Southern Plains region of Oklahoma and Texas saw the largest decrease, with 18 percent fewer workers during the October reference week.