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Off the Top News, products and updates from the sugarbeet industry Hired Workers Down, Wage Rates Up There were 1,186,000 hired workers on the nation's farms and ranches during the week of July 10–16—down 5 percent from a year ago. Of these hired workers, 836,000 were hired directly by farm operators. Agricultural service employees on farms and ranches made up the remaining 350,000 workers. The largest decreases in the number of hired workers from last year occurred in California and in the Pacific (Oregon and Washington), Northern Plains (Kansas, Nebraska, North Dako- ta and South Dakota), and Corn Belt I (Illinois, Indiana and Ohio) regions. In California and in the Pacific region, the wet spring and cooler than normal summer temperatures delayed crop development, reducing the demand for hired workers. Above normal temperatures, heavy rains and high winds in the Northern Plains and Corn Belt I regions discouraged crop progress and slowed field activity. Cintas Carhartt Rental Active Jacket Rental Workwear line. This addition was prompted by an overwhelming demand by Cintas customers, many of whom work outdoors and in cold temperatures. The Carhartt Cintas Corporation, North America's largest uniform supplier, has added a popular Carhartt Jacket to its Carhartt Rental Active Jacket is avail- able in Carhartt brown and fea- tures a quilted flannel lining for warmth, an attached hood, two large lower outside front pockets and secure inside pockets, triple-stitched seams for added durability and a heavy-duty zipper. It is available in sizes small through 5XL. The Carhartt Rental Work- wear began in 2010 as part of a new partnership between Cintas and Carhartt, which was founded in 1889 and is a global manufacturer of premium rugged apparel. The Carhartt Rental Work- wear line also includes a Work Shirt available in blue and sandstone, a Carpenter Jean, a 5-Pocket Work Jean and a Dungaree Pant available in navy and duck brown. For more information about Car- hartt Rental Workwear from www.cintas.com/Carhartt. The largest increases in the number of hired workers from last year occurred in the Lake (Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin) and Appalachian II (Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia) regions and in Florida. Drier conditions this year allowed fieldwork to progress rapidly, increasing the demand for hired workers. Recent rains in Florida improved crop growth which led to heightened activity on farms, causing more hired workers to be necessary. USDA Grants National Conf. For Women Veterans USDA Risk Management Agency has granted the Farmer-Veteran Coalition (FVC), with help from Annie's Project of Iowa, the funds to host the "Empowering Women Veterans: Success in Agriculture Business and Well-Being" conference in Davis, Calif., in July of 2012. This conference, the first of its kind, aims to bring women veterans together in an environment that is specifically designed to address their unique experiences and needs in agriculture. Women veterans are an underserved and underrep- resented growing population, according to FVC. The 2006 American Community Survey states, "As a pro- portion of the veteran population, women went from nearly 4 percent in 1980 to…6 percent in 2003…and projected to increase steadily: 8 percent in 2010… and 10 percent by 2020." Upon entry into the civilian population, women veterans face high unemployment rates as do their male veteran peers. This conference will bring women leaders in business and agriculture to speak to the veterans about the challenges faced by women in these sectors and the programs that are available to specifically help women succeed. n 12 Sugar Producer JANUARY 2012