The Jamaicans of Peru (New York, that is)

Under H-2A visas, foreign workers harvest the Champlain Valley’s apples

By David Escobar

A cold wind rustled through rows of apple trees on an October afternoon at Rulfs Orchard in the Adirondack Park town of Peru.

As locals flocked to the farm store to stock up on pumpkins, corn and other fall harvest staples, Roy Williamson rode around the orchards on a mud-covered John Deere ATV. Williamson — affectionately called “Eddie” by his coworkers — has been a fixture at the Rulfs since 1988.

“My role here?” Williamson said with a grin. “Whenever they ask, ‘Eddie, can you do that?’ I say, ‘No problem.’”

Williamson, 64, is one of 16 men who have traveled from Jamaica to work at Rulfs this season. He and countrymen like Andrew Holgate, 58, live and work in Peru from April to November, running key steps of the apple yield.

Holgate, who has worked at Rulfs for 27 seasons, is one of the farm’s veterans. He carefully ascended a specialized three-legged ladder, inspecting and picking through clusters of McIntosh apples.

“Picking the apples takes a lot of skill,” he said. “You have to leave [them on] the stem and you can’t bruise them.”

After descending his ladder with an apron pouch full of apples, Holgate eased the fruit into a large crate. He said the process is delicate, mastered through years of experience.

Holgate is part of a long tradition of Jamaican workers who have helped sustain the orchard since the 1980s, when Rulfs began recruiting laborers under the federal government’s H-2A visa program for temporary agricultural work.

Seasonal migration

While some, like Holgate, work for nearly nine months to manage day-to-day operations, others come for shorter periods. Mark McLune, 46, said he will spend six weeks working the fall harvest, but that time away from his home country can be difficult.

“I miss my family,” he said. “But I’m here to provide for them. So it gives me courage, knowing that I’m providing for my home and family.”

McLune said many agricultural employees in Jamaica are poorly paid, and opportunities are limited. In New York, H-2A workers represent nearly 15% of the agricultural workforce. Earnings approach $17.80 an hour — an attractive wage for those willing to make the 1,800-mile journey to the Adirondacks.

Many of the workers at Rulfs said the financial compensation for their labor makes the sacrifice of time away from home worthwhile. Leroy McCarthy, who has been with Rulfs for nearly two decades after leaving a sugarcane farm in Florida, said the experience goes beyond the paycheck.

“I enjoy it, working with these people here,” McCarthy said. “And they’re nice to me.”

Foreign labor in the North Country

McCarthy, 70, and his crew partner spend from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. sorting and packing store-grade fruit into half and full-peck bags. Rolfs’ Jamaican workers process thousands of pounds of fruit each day.

Around Peru, farmers employ hundreds of Jamaican workers through the H-2A visa program, which traces back to the Bracero program started during World War II.

Amanda Whisher, co-owner of Rulfs Orchard, said her grandfather started employing H-2A workers during the 1980s, and their labor has become indispensable.

“We wouldn’t be able to run without them,” Whisher said. “Local labor is basically non-existent at this point.”

Whisher, 38, said U.S.-born citizens interested in working as farmhands are given hiring preference under federal labor laws. However, Whisher said locals rarely apply for the jobs, and those who have worked in the orchards were unreliable.

So Whisher said Rulfs started relying on Jamaican workers out of necessity. 

Under the H-2A program, farms are responsible for transporting and housing workers, and employers are mandated to cover the cost of visa paperwork. Each H-2A sponsorship costs thousands of dollars for the orchard, but Whisher said the investment is worth every penny.

“We’re lucky enough that we get the same guys that come back every year,” she said. “They know the farm better than we do. They come and they know exactly what their job is.”

Changing attitudes in Peru

Despite the Champlain Valley’s reliance on foreign-born apple pickers, some community members were not initially welcoming to the Jamaican workers at Rulfs. Paul Fisher, 71, said he recalls difficulties integrating with locals during his first few seasons in Peru, but those unreceptive attitudes have changed.

“Maybe 15 to 20 years ago, it used to be like that,” said Fisher. “But now, everybody is so socialized and I know so many people. They just get to know us coming [to the orchard] to learn.”

Over time, the community has grown to embrace the Jamaican workers as part of the fabric of life in Peru. Local stores now stock Jamaican products such as jerk seasoning and ginger beer, and Fisher said groups of workers socialize around town among the locals.

McLune said that during the past decade, he has noticed a significant increase in the number of people of color visiting and even living in Peru.

Denzel Reid, 58, said casual greetings from friendly neighbors around town have made him feel more comfortable in the community.

“They’re a very loving set of people here,” Reid said, who has worked at Rulfs for 22 seasons. “[It] makes me feel at home.”

As the season winds down and the last apples are picked, many of the workers at Rulfs are prepared to head back to Jamaica carrying the fruits of their labor — and the knowledge that they will return next year.

David Escobar is a Report For America Corps Member. He reports on diversity issues in the Adirondacks through a partnership between North Country Public Radio and Adirondack Explorer.