A new video produced by the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) shines a spotlight on the frustrations of the nation’s farmers in finding workers to harvest their crops. While the video highlights peach production in Georgia, it also outlines the scope of the farm labor problem across the U.S.
Hiring a seasonal skilled workforce to bring crops in from the fields to America’s tables has proved to be difficult, if not impossible, for farmers. That’s why many rely heavily on a program called H-2A, through which the federal government grants foreign nationals short-term visas to help harvest crops.
“This is a serious issue for farmers across America,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall said. “If you have a crop that’s ready and your harvest window is narrow and your workers show up late, you’re going to lose your crop. We’re going to have to make a choice. We either have to import our labor–workers to harvest our crops–or we’ll have to import our food.”
Farm Bureau is calling for Congress to pass responsible immigration reform that provides farmers access to a legal and stable workforce.
An informal survey of state Farm Bureaus revealed that farmers in at least 22 states using the H-2A program have been affected by administrative delays that have caused workers to arrive days and even weeks late, leading to a variety of fruits, vegetables and other crops rotting in fields.
why do you not request assistance from our federal and state penal systems to use the vast number of incarcerated illegal aliens that are languishing in our prisons or other dention facilities awaiting deportation to harvest crops? The prisons could use the monies that farmers will pay for prison labor to defray cost of housing illegals and farmers get the needed labor.