As air quality conditions slowly improve across Idaho, many workers are still facing dangerous conditions outdoors — especially those in the agriculture industry.
In Parma, farmworkers have continued harvesting crops despite unhealthy air quality and extreme heat, conditions advocates say are putting workers’ health at risk.
“It definitely creates those conditions where farmworkers can die if they are not looked after properly,” said Samantha Guerrero, a community organizer with the Idaho Organization of Resource Councils (IORC).
The organization recently shared a video from Weiser showing workers spending up to 12 hours in the fields amid smoky conditions and high temperatures. According to workers featured in the video, some people were fainting because of the weather.
“The environmental elements that are out right now can affect them drastically,” Guerrero said.
The poor air quality has forced some agencies to scale back outdoor operations. Ada County Highway District spokesperson Dyan Bevins said ACHD temporarily suspended field work for employees because of safety concerns.
“We had suspended all field work for ACHD employees for safety concerns for health and the air quality,” Bevins said.
But Idaho’s harvest season cannot simply be postponed, so work goes on.
“They can’t neglect the crops because they will go to waste, so the farm workers are showing up every day,” Guerrero said.
See how workers get through these harsh conditions:
To help workers cope with the conditions, IORC has been distributing supplies including gloves, water, sports drinks and face masks.
“Anything that the farm workers are requiring that will help them finish the harvest,” Guerrero said.
Those supplies are funded through the JJ Saldana Heat and Smoke Relief Fund, which has raised nearly $4,000 so far.
For Guerrero, the work is personal. She said her grandfather worked in agriculture, giving her firsthand insight into the physical demands farmworkers endure.
“For me, I knew how hard it was for him, you know, and how early he would get up and how late he would come home and the toll that it takes on your body over the years,” she said.
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