4 ms·

The quotes from the FDA, et al in the article are all about how they just want to help and are wanting to work with farmers, etc etc. But when did the regulator

The quotes from the FDA, et al in the article are all about how they just want to help and are wanting to work with farmers, etc etc. But when did the regulators show up? Friday, the start of the weekend, during a apple orchard's peak season. Not Tuesday morning in August to discuss worker safety for peak harvesting. Not Wednesday afternoon in November to review incidents. Peak season, start of the weekend.

analog31 9y ago
I'll bet the chances are good that the FDA is understaffed to the point where they have no choice but to work on an awkward schedule just to get a reasonable amount of stuff done.
- wrycoder 9y ago
  15,000 employees and a budget of four billion dollars.
  - glhaynes 9y ago
    I feel like you’re saying that’s plenty but I’d need a lot more context to know how reasonable that is for a country/economy the size of the USA.
    - analog31 9y ago
      According to all-knowing "do a google search and trust the first number that comes up" methodology, there are about 2 million farms in the US. And I wonder how many of those 15000 employees are actually engaged in auditing farms. I know that in my own state (Wisconsin), the government has been cutting the number of people doing any kind of regulatory enforcement, year after year. That includes agriculture, environmental, etc.
mcguire 9y ago
I don't know. Showing up when they're not doing anything doesn't sound like a good way to check that they are following proper procedures when they're actually working. And assuming their workers are working normal hours, Friday would be the least intrusive.
- strictnein 9y ago
  A lot of apple orchards, this one included, are very busy on the weekends because people come out to visit them. As stated in the article: > "The farm sells homemade apple pies, fresh cider and warm doughnuts. Schoolchildren arrive by the bus load to learn about growing apples. And as customers pick fruit from trees, workers fill bins with apples, destined for the farm’s shop and grocery stores."
mikeash 9y ago
I imagine they had other audits to take care of on that Tuesday morning in August and that Wednesday afternoon in November. It’s not like this farm was their only job for the whole year.
- strictnein 9y ago
  Okay, so it's just coincidental that a regulator showed up when they could cause the most harm.
  - mikeash 9y ago
    If the auditor is auditing people full time, it’s inevitable that this will happen sometimes. And naturally this will be the one that gets written about, not the ones where they show up on Tuesday morning in the off season.
  - pwinnski 9y ago
    Yes, most likely. 15,000 employees--not all of whom are inspecting--and more than two million farms.

analog31 9y ago

I'll bet the chances are good that the FDA is understaffed to the point where they have no choice but to work on an awkward schedule just to get a reasonable amount of stuff done.

wrycoder 9y ago
15,000 employees and a budget of four billion dollars.
- glhaynes 9y ago
  I feel like you’re saying that’s plenty but I’d need a lot more context to know how reasonable that is for a country/economy the size of the USA.
  - analog31 9y ago
    According to all-knowing "do a google search and trust the first number that comes up" methodology, there are about 2 million farms in the US. And I wonder how many of those 15000 employees are actually engaged in auditing farms. I know that in my own state (Wisconsin), the government has been cutting the number of people doing any kind of regulatory enforcement, year after year. That includes agriculture, environmental, etc.

mcguire 9y ago

I don't know. Showing up when they're not doing anything doesn't sound like a good way to check that they are following proper procedures when they're actually working. And assuming their workers are working normal hours, Friday would be the least intrusive.

strictnein 9y ago
A lot of apple orchards, this one included, are very busy on the weekends because people come out to visit them. As stated in the article: > "The farm sells homemade apple pies, fresh cider and warm doughnuts. Schoolchildren arrive by the bus load to learn about growing apples. And as customers pick fruit from trees, workers fill bins with apples, destined for the farm’s shop and grocery stores."

mikeash 9y ago

I imagine they had other audits to take care of on that Tuesday morning in August and that Wednesday afternoon in November. It’s not like this farm was their only job for the whole year.

strictnein 9y ago
Okay, so it's just coincidental that a regulator showed up when they could cause the most harm.
- mikeash 9y ago
  If the auditor is auditing people full time, it’s inevitable that this will happen sometimes. And naturally this will be the one that gets written about, not the ones where they show up on Tuesday morning in the off season.
- pwinnski 9y ago
  Yes, most likely. 15,000 employees--not all of whom are inspecting--and more than two million farms.