29 CFR § 500.30 - Persons not subject to the Act.

(a) Family business exemption. Any individual who engages in a farm labor contracting activity on behalf of a farm, processing establishment, seed conditioning establishment, cannery, gin, packing shed, or nursery, which is owned or operated exclusively by such individual or an immediate family member of such individual, if such activities are performed only for such operation and exclusively by such individual or an immediate family member, but without regard to whether such individual has incorporated or otherwise organized for business purposes.

(b) Small business exemption. Any person, other than a farm labor contractor, for whom the man-days exemption for agricultural labor provided under section 13(a)(6)(A) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 213(a)(6)(A)) is applicable. That exemption applies to an agricultural employer who did not, during any calendar quarter of the preceding calendar year, use more man-days of agricultural labor than the limit specified under that statute.

(1) Currently the limit for exemption is 500 man-days.

(2) A man-day means any day during which an employee performs agricultural labor for not less than one (1) hour. Agricultural labor performed by an employer's parent, spouse, child, or other member of his immediate family, i.e., step-children, foster children, step-parents and foster parents, brothers, and sisters is not counted as man-days.

(3) The man-days of agricultural labor rendered in a joint employment relationship are counted toward the man-days of such labor of each employer for purposes of the man-day test of this exemption.

(c) Common carriers. Any common carrier which would be a farm labor contractor solely because the carrier is engaged in the farm labor contracting activity of transporting any migrant or seasonal agricultural worker. A “common carrier” by motor vehicle is one which holds itself out to the general public to engage in transportation of passengers for hire, whether over regular or irregular routes, and which holds a valid certificate of authorization for such purposes from an appropriate local, State or Federal agency.

(d) Labor organizations. Any labor organization, as defined in section 2(5) of the Labor Management Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 152(5)) (without regard to the exclusion of agricultural employees in that Act) or as defined under applicable State labor relations law.

(e) Nonprofit charitable organizations. Any nonprofit charitable organization or public or private nonprofit educational institution.

(f) Local short-term contracting activity. Any person who engages in any farm labor contracting activity solely within a twenty-five mile intrastate radius of such person's permanent place of residence and for not more than thirteen weeks per year.

(1) Twenty-five mile intrastate radius as used in section 4(a)(3)(D) of the Act means that engagement in a farm labor contracting activity may not go beyond a twenty-five mile intrastate geographical radius. Once this limit is transcended, the exemption no longer applies and the person becomes subject to the requirements of the Act. If, for example, a person or his employee solicits workers from a distance greater than twenty-five miles from his permanent residence or from across a State line, then the person has engaged in a named activity outside of the permitted scope of the exemption, and is subject to the requirements of the Act. A person who uses lines of communication (such as U.S. Mail, telephone, or advertising) to recruit, solicit, hire, or furnish workers over a distance greater than twenty-five miles from his permanent residence or from across a State line for agricultural employment is also engaged in a named activity beyond the specified limit of the exemption and is subject to the Act. In the case of a corporation its permanent place of residence for these purposes shall be a single designated location.

(2) For not more than thirteen weeks per year as used in section 4(a)(3)(D) of the Act means that farm labor contracting activities may not be engaged in for more than thirteen weeks in a year. This does not mean, however,

that persons who engage in intrastate and short-range farm labor contracting activities are exempt for the first thirteen weeks of their farm labor contracting activities each year. The number of weeks of contracting activity during the prior year is also a factor. When the limit of weeks for the exemption is exceeded in a calendar year, the person is subject immediately to the Act and is also presumed subject to the Act in the next calendar year, unless it can be shown that the tests of section 4(a)(3)(D) are met.

(g) Custom combine. Any custom combine, hay harvesting, or sheep shearing operation. Custom combine, hay harvesting, and sheep shearing operation means the agricultural services and activities involved in combining grain, harvesting hay and shearing sheep which are provided to a farmer on a contract basis by a person who provides the necessary equipment and labor and who specializes on providing such services and activities.

(h) Custom poultry operations. Any custom poultry harvesting, breeding, debeaking, desexing, or health service operation, provided the employees of the operation are not regularly required to be away from their permanent place of residence other than during their normal working hours.

(i) Seed production exemption.

(1) Any person whose principal occupation or business is not agricultural employment, when supplying full-time students or other individuals whose principal occupation is not agricultural employment to detassel, rogue, or otherwise engage in the production of seed and to engage in related and incidental agricultural employment, unless such full-time students or other individuals are required to be away from their permanent place of residence overnight or there are individuals under eighteen years of age who are providing transportation on behalf of such person.

(2) Any person to the extent he is supplied with students or other individuals for agricultural employment in accordance with paragraph (i)(1) of this section by a person who is exempt thereunder.

(j) Shade grown tobacco.

(1) Any person whose principal occupation or business is not agricultural employment, when supplying full-time students or other individuals whose principal occupation is not agricultural employment to string or harvest shade grown tobacco and to engage in related and incidental agricultural employment, unless there are individuals under eighteen years of age who are providing transportation on behalf of such person.

(2) Any person to the extent he is supplied with students or other individuals for agricultural employment is accordance with paragraph (j)(1) of this section by a person who is exempt thereunder.

(k) Employees of exempt employers. Any employee of any person described in paragraphs (c) through (j) of this section when performing farm labor contracting activities within the scope of such exemptions and exclusively for such person.