The 75-page report, released last week by the Legislative Policy and Research Office, responds to a 2025 state law requiring analysts to review the agricultural industry and how the state administers labor standards. Analysts identified a lack of interagency coordination on enforcing some of the nation's strongest farmworker protections—covering pesticide use, heat safety, housing security, minimum wage and anti-discrimination statutes that apply regardless of nationality or immigration status.

While agencies such as the Department of Consumer and Business Services, Oregon OSHA and the Oregon Department of Agriculture do coordinate in some areas, the report found that collaboration is limited and that "in some areas, state law does not require agencies to share complaints." It did not specify which areas.

"Agencies coordinate where their responsibilities intersect, but no single framework directs how agencies should coordinate on farmworker protections," the report states. "Coordination happens mainly through statutory duties, complaint referrals and interagency agreements."

The report also described state data on the agricultural industry as "fragmented, lagged and incomplete," complicating efforts to track employment trends, the health of family farms, the effectiveness of temporary visa programs and the use of farm labor contractors. In 2022, more than 80% of Oregon farms were family operations with gross cash income under $150,000.

"These measures must be assembled from separate data sources that are built for different purposes, released on different schedules and in different formats, and use different definitions and classifications of farms, employers, and farmworkers," the report reads.

The findings arrive ahead of another highly anticipated report on agricultural overtime due to lawmakers at the end of November. That analysis will detail the economic impact of a 2022 law phasing in stricter overtime standards for farmworkers, who are not covered by federal overtime protections. Lawmakers could revisit the law in the 2027 legislative session.

This year, Oregon's agricultural overtime law guarantees overtime pay for work beyond 48 hours a week. Beginning next year, overtime will apply after 40 hours. A 2025 analysis by Oregon State University researchers found that while the law raised hourly wages, it reduced overall earnings for agricultural employees. Other states, including Colorado, have set a higher threshold of 56 hours a week before overtime applies.

Reyna Lopez, executive director of Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, the state's leading farmworker union, said farmworkers have historically been denied the fair labor, wage and safety standards other workers receive. While Oregon has taken steps to improve conditions, she said more action is needed on issues such as piece-rate wages—pay based on units produced rather than hours worked.

"Even still, farmworkers are not paid at piece rate wages when they are allowed a break. They are excluded from collective bargaining protections under state or federal laws. They are still forced to live in inadequate housing where they do not even have indoor plumbing or cooking spaces in their living spaces," Lopez said in a statement. "Our state must ensure that farmworkers actually experience the protections that were meant for them."

The Oregon Farm Bureau, which represents farmers and ranchers, viewed the report as confirmation that farmworkers have "similar rights and protections" to other workers. Spokesperson Jenny Dresler said the data gaps are not unique to agriculture.

"Several agencies have jurisdiction over these workplace protections, but Oregon agriculture isn't unique in that regard," Dresler said. "Workers in the construction, manufacturing, retail, insurance, health care and restaurant and lodging industries all face a similarly disjointed regulatory environment with multiple agencies directing and enforcing workplace protections. Multiple agencies enforce different workplace laws for many sectors of Oregon's economy."