PLANT CITY, Fla. — The United States labor force has nearly 800,000 agricultural workers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and between 2009 and 2022, the percentage of female farmworkers has climbed to about 26%, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported.
The surge in women farmworkers is taking place in Plant City, too. One organization — Colectivo Arbol — is helping those workers get educated and providing them with items like personal care products, diapers, clothing and food.
Surrounded by fields of green, Claudia Chavez is no stranger to the farm life…