At their Welcome Stock Farm, Bill Peck and his brother Neil are the sixth generation to carry on a family legacy of dairy farming in Saratoga County.

“Farming has been in our family since 1836, so you don’t want to be the generation that fails at it, and it’s become more difficult probably in each generation,” said Peck, whose farm is home to about 1,000 cattle.

Peck says the latest challenge to their business and the state’s agricultural industry is a proposal to bring the farm workers’ wage structure more in line with other industries by allowing them to earn overtime after 40 hours instead of the current 60.

“This is just another burden placed on the business community, the farmers in this situation, by the state of New York,” he said.

What You Need To Know

• Last week, New York’s Farm Laborer Wage Board voted to recommend reducing the work week for farm workers to 40 from 60


• The proposed change would bring agriculture more in line with other industries by allowing farm workers to earn overtime after 40 hours


• Advocacy groups like the NYCLU believe the change will bring more equitable wages to a farm workforce that’s historically been comprised of mostly Black and foreign-born workers


• The New York Farm Bureau and many local farmers have expressed concern about the potential economic impact to the industry

Peck has 18 employees and said changing the overtime law would cost him between $10,000 and $12,000 more each month.

Because milk prices are set at the federal...

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