Productivity of offshore labor: Some evidence from the Florida sugarcane industry

The foreign farm worker program has created a great deal of controversy regarding its effects on the domestic labor force as well as the treatment and compensation of offshore labor. The Florida sugarcane industry, the center of moral and legal battles over treatment of offshore labor across the nation, is used as a case study. A production function analysis suggests that offshore labor is underutilized and may be underpaid in Florida sugarcane production. Such information is pertinent to policymakers in assessing issues related to the foreign farm worker program. ©1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.