[ST. PAUL, MN] – Governor Tim Walz today signed Executive Order 21-14 establishing the Governor’s Committee on the Safety, Health, and Wellbeing of Agricultural and Food Processing Workers.

“Agriculture and food processing are foundational to Minnesota’s economy, and yet, workers in these industries face immense challenges, particularly regarding workplace safety, employment protections, and access to safe housing, health care, and transportation,” said Governor Walz. “We all share responsibility for addressing these challenges, and I am grateful to the leaders from across the state who stepped up to serve on this committee.”

“Those working in agriculture and food processing are essential to keeping our state and nation’s food supply strong, but for too long, their voices have gone unheard,” said Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. “The safety, health, and wellbeing of workers is vital not only to the workers themselves, but also to their families and communities, and to Minnesota’s agricultural production and processing industries.”

The Committee will be co-chaired by Department of Employment and Economic Development Deputy Commissioner of Workforce Development Hamse Warfa and Minnesota Department of Agriculture Deputy Commissioner Andrea Vaubel.

“Minnesota’s agricultural workers help to put food on the table for families across the country,” said Deputy Commissioner Warfa. “This Committee will remove barriers between agencies and bring community voices to the table. Our goal will be to ensure that the safety and well-being of our agricultural and food processing workers remains a top priority for Minnesota.”

“Governor Walz is a strong advocate for Minnesota agriculture and creating this new committee is an important step toward ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the workers who put food on our tables,” said Deputy Commissioner Vaubel. “I’m pleased to serve as co-chair of the committee and look forward to helping strengthen a safe work environment for the thousands of employees who work in food processing and production.”

The Committee’s objectives include:

• Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by coordinating resources and outreach for the 2021 growing, harvesting, and processing season.
• Designing a proactive strategy to deploy public, private, and non-profit compliance resources to protect and promote the safety, health, and wellbeing of agricultural and food processing workers, focusing on housing, transportation, and workplaces.
• Developing a system for effective communication between state agencies, community organizations, advocacy groups, and agricultural and food processing employers and workers, including the workers’ families and communities.
• Supporting and assisting the Minnesota Department of Health, local public health departments, and community organizations with the coordination of the COVID-19 response, including testing, vaccination, access to health care, and necessary assistance for the quarantine and isolation of workers and their families if they test positive or become ill.
• Providing government agencies, community organizations, advocacy groups, employer and worker organizations, employers, and workers a forum to engage, analyze data and information, coordinate resources, and plan for future agricultural growing, food production, and processing seasons.

Committee members will serve terms expiring on April 3, 2023 and were selected to include voices from public health, community organizations, public health, labor, industry, and relevant state agencies. The members of the Committee are:

Co-Chairs

Andrea Vaubel, Deputy Commissioner , Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Hamse Warfa, Deputy Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development

Members

Rena Wong, Director of Organizing, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 663

Jennifer Christensen, President, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1189

Colin Laffey, AWP Project Manager, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS)

Emilia Gonzalez Avalos, Executive Director, Unidos MN

Rodolfo Gutierrez, Executive Director, HACER

Susan Bishop, Supervisor, Minnesota Department of Health, and Migrant Agricultural Worker Response Lead, ICS

Nicole Blissenbach, Deputy Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry

Kevin Paap, President, Minnesota Farm Bureau

Tamara Nelsen, Executive Director, Minnesota AgriGrowth Council

Gary Wertish, President, Minnesota Farmers Union

Kiza Olson, CHS Administrator, Meeker-McLeod-Sibley Community Health Services

Sarah Berry, Waseca County Public Health Director, Southwest/West Central Community Health Board

Kristi Halvarson, Executive Director, Community Health Service, Inc.