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"On Sunday, the Associated Press reported worker shortages have prompted some Alabama farmers who grow labor-intensive produce to plant less, rather than have crops rot in the fields again this year. Last fall Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley signed a tough law combating illegal immigration, which prompted undocumented workers to flee the state. Few locals will perform the grueling work of picking crops, and farmers stuck in a agricultural system built on illegal labor are struggling to find replacements before their produce rots.
Alabama’s situation is not unique. Georgia passed a similar immigration law in 2011. When undocumented workers fled, farmers lost around 40% of their workers and $140 million worth of blueberries, melons, onions, and other crops due to labor shortages. This year Georgia farmers again fear they will be short on workers to pick the crops, and many have scaled back production or stopped planting altogether."
"It’s not only Southern states; farmers all across America are dependent on migrant labor. For example, immigrants make up 40% of Wisconsin’s dairy industry workers and almost one in three U.S. farming and fishing workers is from Mexico.
There are approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. today. However, trends are shifting dramatically. Legal and illegal immigration from Mexico, which boomed over the past 40 years, flattened in 2005 and now seems to be decreasing, according to a 2012 report released by the Pew Research Center. Decreasing migration rates coupled with tougher state immigration laws are hurting America’s farmers, who rely on the labor.
Many farmers want to hire local workers, but it is increasingly difficult to find U.S. natives with the proper skills. Few are willing or able to perform the physically taxing and low paying labor which requires them to move with the crops, even with wages of $15-$20 an hour. Georgia recently experimented with creating a program that allowed parolees to work as farm laborers, but it was unsuccessful when they wouldn’t — or couldn’t — endure the grueling days."
I agree with most of what you have stated except for the part about giving illegal workers any work permits. I am sure there are enough foreigners waiting in their countries to come here legally to work those agricultural jobs. Why reward illegal behavior? We have enough of our own less educated adults and American youth who would work any other low level jobs.
I am speaking of the illegals that are already living here. The reason I hold that opinion is that the U.S. government AND it's citizens are also 50% responsible for them being here to begin with and so should shoulder some of that responsibility.
Had voters demanded this stop and voted to do so (vote out politicians) AND had the government actually used it's power to stop business from using illegal workers we would not be in this position to begin with.
It's not fair or right to punish someone when you/we are also to blame.
Vegatables really arent all that cheap. And again its been shown when the %$ of the finished product paid to the crop pickers increases it does not have a significant affect on the retail price.
Perhaps farmers should buck up, pay a bit more and suffer the paperwork and aggravation of going the legal route and hiring legal migrant workers instead of trying to squeeze more profit.
Why should they if nobody is making them do so? Until forced nothing will change...
"It’s not only Southern states; farmers all across America are dependent on migrant labor. For example, immigrants make up 40% of Wisconsin’s dairy industry workers and almost one in three U.S. farming and fishing workers is from Mexico.
There are approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. today. However, trends are shifting dramatically. Legal and illegal immigration from Mexico, which boomed over the past 40 years, flattened in 2005 and now seems to be decreasing, according to a 2012 report released by the Pew Research Center. Decreasing migration rates coupled with tougher state immigration laws are hurting America’s farmers, who rely on the labor.
Many farmers want to hire local workers, but it is increasingly difficult to find U.S. natives with the proper skills. Few are willing or able to perform the physically taxing and low paying labor which requires them to move with the crops, even with wages of $15-$20 an hour. Georgia recently experimented with creating a program that allowed parolees to work as farm laborers, but it was unsuccessful when they wouldn’t — or couldn’t — endure the grueling days."
It's amazing what one will do when one HAS TO in order to eat. Maybe welfare programs need reform and a return to "workfare"?
Why do back breaking work like picking watermelons when you can just sign up for Social Security Disability instead? Many communities in "Real America" pretty much exist solely on handouts like SSDI, Medicaid, welfare and food stamps.
"Across large swaths of the country, disability has become a force that has reshaped scores of mostly white, almost exclusively rural communities, where as many as one-third of working-age adults live on monthly disability checks, according to a Washington Post analysis of Social Security Administration statistics."
In order to qualify for disability one has to go to the doctor to prove their claim. Would you have the disabled work as stoop labor? Many times getting government handouts is more beneficial than doing low paying, slave labor jobs that doesn't include health insurance. Can you blame them? Oh, here we go with calling attention to race again, typical. Whites are still the majority in this country so percentage wise to their population numbers they may well be the largest parcipients of welfare. No need to mention race at all. Your link itself proves that jobs are drying up. What would you have the unemployed and disabled do.....starve?
I am speaking of the illegals that are already living here. The reason I hold that opinion is that the U.S. government AND it's citizens are also 50% responsible for them being here to begin with and so should shoulder some of that responsibility.
Had voters demanded this stop and voted to do so (vote out politicians) AND had the government actually used it's power to stop business from using illegal workers we would not be in this position to begin with.
It's not fair or right to punish someone when you/we are also to blame.
I know you were speaking of the illegals that are already living here and I oppose giving them amnesty or work permits. Law abiding Americans should not have to pay for the negligence on the part of our government or the greedy employers who have hired illegal aliens. We had nothing to do with it.
We've been demanding that our immigration laws be enforced for decades now and have voted out politicians who have helped allowing this to continue. Why do you think that Trump was elected? It's never wrong to punish criminals just because a segment of our population or our corrupt government encouraged them. Are you serious? Don't law abiding Americans count?
Why do back breaking work like picking watermelons when you can just sign up for Social Security Disability instead? Many communities in "Real America" pretty much exist solely on handouts like SSDI, Medicaid, welfare and food stamps.
"Across large swaths of the country, disability has become a force that has reshaped scores of mostly white, almost exclusively rural communities, where as many as one-third of working-age adults live on monthly disability checks, according to a Washington Post analysis of Social Security Administration statistics."
Are those on disability living in the big ag areas? Are those on disability suppose to be able to do "back breaking" work? I mean doesn't disability imply one is unable to work?
How is someone disabled suppose to have the money to move cross country and live on seasonal work at low wages?
"It’s not only Southern states; farmers all across America are dependent on migrant labor. For example, immigrants make up 40% of Wisconsin’s dairy industry workers and almost one in three U.S. farming and fishing workers is from Mexico.
There are approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. today. However, trends are shifting dramatically. Legal and illegal immigration from Mexico, which boomed over the past 40 years, flattened in 2005 and now seems to be decreasing, according to a 2012 report released by the Pew Research Center. Decreasing migration rates coupled with tougher state immigration laws are hurting America’s farmers, who rely on the labor.
Many farmers want to hire local workers, but it is increasingly difficult to find U.S. natives with the proper skills. Few are willing or able to perform the physically taxing and low paying labor which requires them to move with the crops, even with wages of $15-$20 an hour. Georgia recently experimented with creating a program that allowed parolees to work as farm laborers, but it was unsuccessful when they wouldn’t — or couldn’t — endure the grueling days."
Please don't blur the lines between legal and illegal by using the word plain ole "immigrants" to describe them all. There is no such thing as an undocumented either they are illegal aliens. 98% of ag workers are here on the unlimited visas. Only 2% are illegal aliens. There is no reason to rely on American labor based on that. Please read my numerous posts about why it's not a career job for Americans. Stoop labor never is especially when it's only seasonal.
So we should stop enforcing our immigration laws so that farmers and other employers can access cheap, illegal labor? Are you joking?
"On Sunday, the Associated Press reported worker shortages have prompted some Alabama farmers who grow labor-intensive produce to plant less, rather than have crops rot in the fields again this year. Last fall Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley signed a tough law combating illegal immigration, which prompted undocumented workers to flee the state. Few locals will perform the grueling work of picking crops, and farmers stuck in a agricultural system built on illegal labor are struggling to find replacements before their produce rots.
Alabama’s situation is not unique. Georgia passed a similar immigration law in 2011. When undocumented workers fled, farmers lost around 40% of their workers and $140 million worth of blueberries, melons, onions, and other crops due to labor shortages. This year Georgia farmers again fear they will be short on workers to pick the crops, and many have scaled back production or stopped planting altogether."
They only had themselves to blame for not using the unlimited visas for legal, foreign workers.
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Whites are still the majority in this country so percentage wise to their population numbers they may well be the largest parcipients of welfare. No need to mention race at all. Your link itself proves that jobs are drying up. What would you have the unemployed and disabled do.....starve?
