The Jamaican field hands come to Connecticut each year to harvest tobacco, working very long days, sometimes seven days a week. During tobacco season, which ends in late fall, the workers live in two buildings that house 50 people cooking, sleeping and eating in Enfield and Somers.
Gerald Gray wakes at 5:30 a.m. to prepare his meals for the long day ahead in the fields. He is one of 100 Jamaican workers employed by the Jarmoc family on their tobacco farm in Enfield, Connecticut.
The work is labor-intensive, and during August, temperatures often climb to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. But Gray and his fellow countrymen told The Courant they are accustomed to working in the heat back home.
In Jamaica, Gray left behind his wife and two children. He regularly sends money home through Western Union in East Windsor.
“You’ve got to do what you have to do to make money,” he said.
Many of his compatriots share similar stories about spending months away from their families each year. While in the U.S., the workers have formed a close bond, almost like a second family.
This camaraderie is rooted in mutual respect and shared experiences, creating a strong sense of unity. Within the group, an informal hierarchy has emerged, influenced by Jamaican culture and practical needs.
Older workers are revered for their age and experience. One such figure is Selvin Beecher, whom younger workers respectfully call “Mr. Beecher.” As a mentor, Beecher is the go-to person for less experienced workers, and his directions are met with immediate compliance.
The workers, including Gray, rise together around 5 a.m. to cook and pack lunches for the day. The farm used to employ a cook, but farmer Owen Jarmoc explained that the men soon asked to prepare their own meals, preferring the flavors of home.
In the early morning, the kitchen fills with the aroma of boiling rice and Jamaican-style jerk chicken. Despite the small cooking area and the number of men sharing a building, the preparation runs smoothly. Tasks are performed in near silence, with a well-rehearsed rhythm. Those without assigned duties return to the sleeping quarters to get ready for the day.
By 7 a.m., they are transported on old school buses to the fields near the Enfield-Somers town line. Once there, they split into two groups: cutters and collectors.
Sammy Johnson sharpens his small hatchet and begins cutting each tobacco plant with a single precise swipe. Behind him, a water barrel sits alongside rumbling tractors, waiting for the collectors, including Gray, to gather the leaves and load them onto trailers.
Each day, 125 workers collectively harvest 15 acres, or roughly 2,000 pounds of tobacco, all by hand, working until 3 p.m.
The longest-serving Jamaican worker is 64-year-old Edwin Rowe, affectionately called “Mr. Rowe” by younger workers. Rowe has been with the farm for 42 years and now works alongside his 32-year-old son, Edwain.
After harvesting, vintage red tractors rumble down Hazard Avenue and onto Broadbrook Road, transporting the tobacco to eight large red barns where the leaves are left to dry. Under Rowe’s direction, the workers have built six additional barns, their dimensions committed to his memory.
The workers are in the U.S. under H2A visas, which allow farms meeting specific regulatory criteria to bring foreign nationals for temporary agricultural jobs.
In 2021, a record 258,000 H2A visas were issued, according to the Wilson Center, with Jamaicans accounting for 2% of recipients. Mexico made up 93%, while South Africa and Guatemala accounted for 3% and 1%, respectively.
Connecticut raised its minimum wage to $14 per hour on July 1, 2022. The Jarmoc farm pays $15.66 per hour—$1.66 above the minimum—but farmer Owen Jarmoc said they still struggle to find local workers.
“Americans are just not interested in working out in the fields for that pay,” Jarmoc said.
The Jarmoc family has run their 1,000-acre tobacco farm for four generations. Owen, 26, is preparing to take over from his father, Stephen.
The Jamaican workers arrive in April and typically stay until December, Jarmoc explained. Their accommodations are covered, allowing them to focus on their work and save more money than they could earn back home.
“Once they return home, they don’t need to work until they fly back the following year,” Jarmoc said.
Sammy Johnson, a Jamaican native, sharpens his axe to cut the tobacco leaves down by hand . He and hundreds of others work the fields in connecticut until the season ends in September. The Jamaican field hands come to Connecticut each year to harvest tobacco, working very long days, sometimes seven days a week. During tobacco season, which ends in late fall, the workers live in labor camps in Enfield and Somers.
Selvin Beecher has been working at the Jarmoc tobacco fields since 1987. Rain starts to fall but most of the workers stay to harvest the tobacco in Enfield.
The Jamaican field hands come to Connecticut each year to harvest tobacco, working very long days, sometimes seven days a week. During tobacco season, which ends in late fall, the workers live in two buildings that house 50 people cooking, sleeping and eating in Enfield and Somers.
Clive Brown gets ready to drive to the farm in Enfield from the land in Somers where the tobacco leaves are being gathered. The Jamaican field hands come to Connecticut each year to harvest tobacco, working very long days, sometimes seven days a week. During tobacco season, which ends in late fall, the workers live in labor camps in Enfield and Somers.
Oshane Easy, originally from Jamacia, works the tobacco fields in Enfield. The Jamaican field hands come to Connecticut each year to harvest tobacco, working long days, sometimes seven days a week. During tobacco season, which ends in late fall, the workers live in two buildings that house 50 people cooking, sleeping and eating in Enfield and Somers.
All the tobacco leaves are piled onto tractors in Somers and transported to barns in Enfield to dry. The Jamaican field hands come to Connecticut each year to harvest tobacco, working long days, sometimes seven days a week. During tobacco season, which ends in late fall, the workers live in camps in Enfield and Somers.
All the tobacco leaves are piled onto tractors in Somers and transported to barns in Enfield to dry.
All the tobacco leaves are piled onto tractors in Somers and transported to barns in Enfield to dry.
All the tobacco leaves are piled onto tractors in Somers and transported to barns in Enfield to dry.
All the tobacco leaves are piled onto tractors in Somers and transported to barns in Enfield to dry.
In the two identical buildings, 100 Jamaicans on H2A work visas stay from August to December while they work the fields.
Workers wake at roughly 5 a.m. to prepare breakfast and lunch before heading to the tobacco fields in Somers and Enfield. The workers fly to Connecticut in April and many stay until December.
Lee Pryce has been working at Jarmoc Farm for 5 years. He will leave his family back in Jamaica and help to Harvest the tobacco leaves on land in Somers and Enfield. He and 100 other Jamaicans are housed at accommodation provided by the Jarmoc company in Enfield.
Tobacco worker, Clive Brown wakes at roughly 5 a.m. to prepare breakfast and lunch before heading to the tobacco fields in Somers and Enfield. The workers fly from Jamaica to Connecticut in April and many stay until December.
During August, temperatures can be over 100 degrees during the day and the tobacco fields have no shade. In the dining room of the building, that is home to roughly 50 Jamaican tobacco workers, the TV displays the days weather. One worker told the Courant that the hot weather doesn't bother them. He continued that the cold is what makes life difficult.
All of the 100 Jamaican workers wake at 5:30 a.m. to prepare breakfast and then head to harvest tobacco for Jarmoc Farms. Many will fly over in April and stay until December.
Buses wait outside the workers accommodation ready to take them to work the fields in Enfield. The work force of Jarmoc Farm is made up of 100 Jamaicans and 25 U.S. citizens.
Lee Pryce checks the tomatoes that the workers planted outside their accommodation. Pryce has been working at Jarmoc Farm for 5 years. He will leave his family back in Jamaica and help to Harvest the tobacco leaves on land in Somers and Enfield. He and 100 other Jamaicans are housed at accommodation provided by the Jarmoc company in Enfield.
Buses wait outside the workers accommodation ready to take them to work the fields in Enfield. The work force of Jarmoc Farm is made up of 100 Jamaicans and 25 U.S. citizens.
All of the 100 Jamaican workers wake at 5:30 a.m. to prepare breakfast and then head to harvest tobacco for Jarmoc Farms. Many will fly over in April and stay until December.
Sammy Johnson and the other 99 Jamaicans wake at 5:30 a.m. He checks his phone in the early morning before making breakfast and heading to the fields to harvest tobacco for Jarmoc Farms.
In the two identical buildings, 100 Jamaicans on H2A work visas stay from April to December while they work the fields.
Workers wake at roughly 5 a.m. to prepare breakfast and lunch before heading to the tobacco fields in Somers and Enfield. The workers fly to Connecticut in April and many stay until December. In the two identical buildings, 100 Jamaicans on H2A work visas stay from August to December while they work the fields.