FRANKFORT, Ky. — With an unemployment rate hovering around 9 percent, jobs are not often easy to find, but a program here is helping those who have worked on farms find work, while also assisting those employers hiring them.

The Kentucky Farmworkers Programs (KFP) is an agency that places migrant and seasonal farm workers in other jobs while providing employers with salaries for those workers, sometimes for as long as five months, depending on the job.

Vickie Hutcheson is the executive director for KFP, which is based in Bowling Green. She said the agency – which is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor under the Workforce Investment Act – has been in existence sine 1977 and functions much like a dislocated worker program for seasonal and migrant farm workers.

Despite its longevity, there are still some misunderstandings in just what the program does and for whom it provides services.

“A common misconception is we find jobs for people and put them on a farm. We can do that and place eligible farm workers in upgraded ag work that is permanent, full-time employment, but most of the employers we work with are not agriculture employers,” she said. “We can work with any employer that is hiring and will keep the person after the training incentive ends.”

That incentive can be a big deal to employers, especially for small companies where cash flow is an issue. Hutcheson said the program worked with about 69 employers last year, most of which had 10 or fewer employees.

“It’s a real benefit to them when they are hiring. We work with employers in an on-the-job training program where we reimburse that person’s salary. We don’t go any further than five months on any job; it depends on how hard that job is to learn,” she said.

One stipulation of the program is the employer must have a full-time job available for those going through it, in order to take advantage of the incentives. Also, the program does not work with the H2A guest workers – only with legal, permanent residents.

“Most of our clients were born and raised here in Kentucky. There are a lot of people here that do farm work,” Hutcheson said.
“Maybe 1 to 2 percent of the people we work with are Hispanic, but they are people who have chosen to make Kentucky their home and they are here legally.”

Until now, the Bowling Green office, located in the south-central part of the state, has been the only place to access the services, but a new office in central Kentucky has opened recently.

Evelyn Martinez, an employment and training specialist, staffs the Georgetown office and said so far the amount of interest has been up and down, but in time, as people discover the office in that area, she feels more clients will take advantage of the services.

“I would love to help as many people as possible and meet my goals,” she said.

One issue to overcome is the fact many agricultural workers are migrant laborers and may be in other parts of the country during certain times in the growing season. Martinez said the name of the program also tends to give the public the wrong idea of just what it does. But, she is determined to overcome issues and misconceptions because of the good the agency can do for workers in getting them out of seasonal farm work and into steady long-term employment to help support their families.

Help is one thing many need. According to information on the agency’s website, nearly one-third of all farm workers earn less than $2,500.

Martinez added employers seem to be excited about the program, from the standpoint that they can save money in finding and training employees. She said one of her targets as far as businesses go are the smaller ones, because of the need they have and the money the agency can save them.

But that doesn’t mean big businesses can’t benefit, as well. Martinez said she recently placed workers with a Toyota contractor. The auto giant’s Camry assembly plant is located in Georgetown.