What to Check Before You Hire a Farm Labor Contractor in California
Eight things to verify before a labor contractor puts a crew on your ranch, from the state license and federal certificate to payroll and heat plans.
Farm labor crews that show up. Paperwork that holds up.
Morfin Farm Labor Contracting supplies trained, supervised crews for pruning, harvest, and orchard and vineyard work on ranches across California, from our home base in Bakersfield. Payroll, field safety, and paperwork are handled by the book, so your ranch is covered too.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (661) 677-5733.
- 8+ yearsof farm labor contracting experience
- License pendingFLC application filed with the California Labor Commissioner
- Statewide serviceCrews for growers anywhere in California
- Covered from day oneSurety bond and workers' comp in place before any crew starts
Field crews for the work your ranch runs on
Tell us the block, the crop, and the window. We bring a crew sized for the job and a foreman who stays with it until the work meets your standard.
Crops we work
- Pistachios
- Almonds
- Table grapes
- Wine grapes
- Citrus
- Stone fruit
- Vegetables
- Berries
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Pruning and tree training
Dormant-season hand pruning, cleanup cuts after mechanical topping and hedging, and training cuts that set young trees up for years of production.
Pistachios, almonds, citrus, stone fruit
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Harvest crews and harvest support
Hand-harvest crews for grapes and citrus, and harvest-season support in nut orchards, from ground cleanup to bin and trailer handling.
Grapes, citrus, pistachios, almonds
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Orchard floor and sucker removal
Suckering, hand hoeing, weed control around trunks and drip lines, and trunk painting or wrapping to protect young trees.
All orchard crops
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Planting and new orchards
Tree and vine planting, staking and tying, tree guards, and replants for new developments and aging blocks.
Orchards and vineyards
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Vineyard canopy work
Pruning, tying, shoot thinning, leafing, and crop thinning through the season, done to your block-by-block instructions.
Table grapes, wine grapes
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Vegetable and berry crews
Planting, weeding, thinning, and hand-harvest crews for leafy greens, strawberries, and other vegetables and berries.
Vegetables, strawberries, caneberries
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Seasonal and general field labor
Irrigation line repair and flushing, field cleanup, and the short projects that come up between the big jobs.
Any ranch
- See service details, seasons, and crops
Compliance isn't the paperwork after the job. It's how the job runs.
In California, a grower can be held responsible for wage and workers' comp violations by the labor contractor they hire. So we make every part of our operation easy to verify, before the first crew day instead of after a claim.
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Licensed and registered before we work
California FLC license, federal FLC certificate of registration, and registration with the Agricultural Commissioner in each county where our crews work.
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Paid right, every payday
Minimum wage and agricultural overtime, separate pay for rest and recovery periods on piece rate, paid sick leave, and an itemized wage statement with every check.
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Heat illness prevention
Water, shade, cool-down rest, and acclimatization under Cal/OSHA's heat standard, with high-heat procedures whenever it reaches 95°F.
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Pesticide and field safety
Pesticide safety training, strict respect for restricted-entry intervals, clean toilets and handwashing stations, and a safety talk to start every day.
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Respect on every crew
Sexual harassment prevention training for supervisors and workers, written job terms in Spanish and English, and zero tolerance for retaliation.
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Bonded and covered
Surety bond on file with the Labor Commissioner and workers' compensation insurance for every worker we employ.
California Labor Code §2810.3 lets workers hold a business that uses a labor contractor responsible for unpaid wages and missing workers' comp coverage. See how we meet each requirement.
How a job runs with us
The same four steps on every job, whether it's a two-day cleanup or a full pruning season.
Walk the ranch
We visit the block with you to see the crop, the work, the timing, and the headcount, and plan where water, shade, and restrooms go.
Paper before people
You receive a written contract and your compliance packet before a single worker arrives.
Crew day
A foreman runs the crew, opens every morning with a safety talk, and checks the work against your standard.
Payday and reporting
Workers are paid on time with itemized statements. You get clear hours and production totals with every invoice.
A family operation with 8+ years in farm labor contracting
Morfin Farm Labor Contracting is run by two brothers with 8+ years of experience in farm labor contracting: building crews, running fields, and handling the payroll and paperwork that keep a contractor in good standing.
We started our own company to do the work the way growers deserve. Dependable crews, straight answers, and a compliance record you never have to wonder about. When you call, you talk to an owner.
Where we work
All of California, from our home base in Bakersfield. See every county we serve.
Hard work today. A stronger tomorrow. The words on our logo, and how we run every crew.
Every farm county in California
We're based in Bakersfield and take work in all 57 of the state's farming counties. Before a crew starts in a new county, we register with that county's Agricultural Commissioner.
San Joaquin Valley
Pistachios, almonds, grapes, citrus, stone fruit
Sacramento Valley
Walnuts, almonds, prunes, rice, tomatoes
Central Coast
Strawberries, lettuce and greens, vegetables, wine grapes
Southern California
Avocados, citrus, strawberries, nursery, winter vegetables
Bay Area and Delta
Wine grapes, orchards, Delta row crops
Sierra Foothills
Wine grapes, apples, mandarins, cattle ranches
Questions growers ask us
Don't see yours? Call (661) 677-5733 and talk to an owner.
Are you a licensed farm labor contractor?
Our California farm labor contractor license application is pending with the Labor Commissioner, and we don't start crews until it's issued. Once it is, you'll get copies of our state license, federal FLC certificate of registration, and county registrations in your compliance packet, and our license numbers will be listed on every page of this site.
What areas do you serve?
All of California. We're based in Bakersfield and take work in all 57 of the state's farming counties, from the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys to the Central Coast, Southern California, and the North Coast. We register with the Agricultural Commissioner in each county before our crews work there.
What crops and jobs do your crews handle?
Pistachios, almonds, table and wine grapes, citrus, and stone fruit. Typical work includes pruning, harvest crews and harvest support, suckering and weed control, planting, vineyard canopy work, and general field labor.
How far in advance should I book a crew?
As early as you can. Pruning and harvest windows fill up fast, so we plan those crews weeks ahead. For smaller or shorter jobs we can often start sooner. Call us and we'll tell you honestly what we can staff and when.
Who supervises the crew on my ranch?
One of our own foremen stays with the crew all day. They speak English and Spanish, run the morning safety talk, follow your quality standards, and are your point of contact in the field.
Can a grower be held liable for a labor contractor's violations?
Yes. Under California Labor Code section 2810.3, a business that uses a labor contractor can share legal responsibility for unpaid wages and missing workers' compensation coverage. That's why every grower gets our compliance packet up front, and why we keep our payroll records organized and ready to review. This is general information, not legal advice.
How are your workers paid?
Hourly or piece rate, depending on the job and what we agree with you in writing. Either way, every worker earns at least minimum wage, receives overtime under California's agricultural overtime rules, is paid separately for rest and recovery periods when working piece rate, and gets an itemized wage statement every payday.
Notes for growers
Plain-language guides on crews, compliance, and field safety in California agriculture.
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Heat Illness Prevention in the Field: What Growers Should Expect From a Labor Contractor
Cal/OSHA's heat standard in plain language: water, shade, cool-down rest, acclimatization, and the high-heat rules that apply to farm crews at 95°F.
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How Farm Workers Must Be Paid in California: Overtime, Piece Rate, and Pay Stubs
A plain-language guide to agricultural overtime, piece-rate rest and recovery pay, paid sick leave, and what a farm labor contractor's pay stub must show.
Request a crew
Tell us about the job and we'll call you back to plan it: crew size, timing, and what you need in your compliance packet.
- Phone(661) 677-5733
- Emailmorfinfarmlaborcontracting@gmail.com
- Based inBakersfield, CA
- ServingGrowers across California