In 2012, seven migrant farmworkers sued the agricultural giant Monsanto, charging that the $4-per-acre piece rate they were paid for corn detasseling in Indiana was substantially less than the federal minimum wage.

That was not the only way they were cheated, according to the initial complaint filed by the nonprofit Texas RioGrande Legal Aid: Hermilo Cantu Jr., a labor recruiter for Monsanto—also named as a defendant—promised the farmworkers free housing with kitchen facilities. But the workers were instead housed in a cramped motel, then moved to a former nursing home and charged $300 per room. The “kitchen” was a school bus that had been outfitted with stoves and refrigerators, but lacked proper ventilation or adequate space to accommodate the more than 30 migrant farmworkers.

Asked for comment, Monsanto spokesperson Charla Lord said, “We are committed to working quickly and collaboratively with state legal aid groups to address any worker concerns, as we did with this case. … We expect that all housing provided for use by workers providing services to Monsanto meets all required federal, state and local safety and health standards.” The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount in 2013 and dismissed with prejudice.

Millions of migrants who pick and process America’s fruits and vegetables face difficult and dangerous working conditions, including high risks of heatstroke, dehydration and exposure to toxic pesticides. The Monsanto lawsuit highlights that their plight often doesn’t end there. When workers leave the fields, many return to housing riddled with health and safety hazards—housing that’s often owned or arranged by employers or employers’ agents.

An investigation by In These Times and the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting reveals that both small-scale farmers and multibillion-dollar Big Ag corporations—DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto among them—routinely use third-party labor recruiters who crowd workers in trailers, dilapidated motels and ramshackle apartments.

While state and federal officials are charged with overseeing migrant housing, thousands of inspection records obtained from eight states under the Freedom of Information Act show that some facilities continue racking up housing violations year after year. Fearful of complaining, migrant farmworkers often spend months living in the substandard housing, some even paying substantial rent fees out of their meager paychecks.