(820 ILCS 405/214) (from Ch. 48, par. 324)

Sec. 214. The term "employment" does not include agricultural or aquacultural labor, except as provided in Section 211.4. With respect to the period prior to January 1, 1972, the term "agricultural labor" means the services included within the term by this Act as amended and in effect on September 15, 1969. On and after January 1, 1972, the term "agricultural labor" means all services performed:

A. On a farm, in the employ of any person, in connection with cultivating the soil or in connection with raising or harvesting any agricultural or horticultural commodity, including the raising, shearing, feeding, caring for, training, and management of live stock, bees, poultry, and fur-bearing animals and wildlife;

B. In the employ of the owner or tenant or other operator of a farm, in connection with the operation, management, conservation, improvement, or maintenance of such farm and its tools and equipment;

C. In connection with the ginning of cotton, or the operation or maintenance of ditches, canals, reservoirs, or waterways not owned or operated for profit, used exclusively for supplying and storing water for farming purposes;

D. In the employ of the operator of a farm, or of a group of operators of farms (or a cooperative organization of which such operators are members), in handling, planting, drying, packing, packaging, processing, freezing, grading, storing or delivering to storage or to market or to a carrier for transportation to market, in its unmanufactured state, any agricultural or horticultural commodity; but only if such operator or operators produced more than one-half of the commodity with respect to which such service is performed. The provisions of this subsection shall not be deemed to be applicable with respect to service performed in connection with commercial canning or commercial freezing or in connection with any agricultural or horticultural commodity after its delivery to a terminal market for distribution for consumption.

As used in this Section, the term "farm" includes stock, dairy, poultry, fruit, fur-bearing animal, and truck farms, plantations, ranches, nurseries, ranges, greenhouses or other similar structures used primarily for the raising of agricultural or horticultural commodities, and orchards.

The term "aquacultural labor" means all services performed in connection with the production of aquatic products, including any aquatic plants and animals or their by-products that are produced, grown, managed, harvested and marketed on an annual, semi-annual, biennial or short-term basis, in permitted aquaculture facilities.

(Source: P.A. 102-555, eff. 1-1-22.)