Tanimura & Antle is leading the way in setting an industry standard for housing by providing modern, quality housing for its farmworker staff. In California, housing is an issue for all industries. Many high-end tech companies are investing heavily in housing to attract and retain a skilled workforce. Farmworkers, one of the most overlooked highly skilled workforces in our nation, could benefit from similar benefits. Without the ability to pick produce “remotely,” farmworkers will always need to live near the land where they work. And, without significant investment from their employers, farmworkers will continue to struggle with long commutes and the challenge of building a life and community far from their outdoor “offices.”
In 2015, Salinas Valley–based Tanimura and Antle was approved to launch its proposed housing development after a shortage of workers posed a significant threat. Before the development launched, Mike Antle, executive vice president and chief operations officer of Tanimura & Antle, explained that 2015 was “the first time in 33 years that we were unable to hire enough workers to harvest our crops. In addition, our current workers are enduring longer harvest hours in order to avoid losing planted crops.” As 2020 brought the coronavirus pandemic to the United States and the world at-large, many farmworkers who would have come to the States from Mexico chose not to travel, not only for fear of catching the illness while having limited healthcare options, but also because of a lack of stable, reliable housing opportunities near the U.S. farms they service seasonally.
The development in Salinas, which now provides 800 Tanimura & Antle workers with safe, affordable, reliable housing, is a model for other agricultural producers working overtime to feed the American population. GrowingProduce.com offers viewers a virtual tour of the housing from which other companies could draw inspiration to model their own developments. The complex offers playgrounds, picnic areas, a laundromat, a computer station, and common areas that tenants can utilize for recreation while socially distancing.
The CCOF Foundation thanks Tanimura & Antle for their Champion-level support of our nonprofit programs, and for leading the organic industry forward in providing farmworkers with secure housing opportunities.