tell the Welfare Rats they either pick... or lose their free ride.
Posted on 03/24/2008 3:39:21 PM PDT by raybbr
CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. - Saying the nation's immigration system is broken, Pennsylvania's largest grower of fresh-to-market tomatoes announced Monday he will no longer produce the crop because he can't find enough workers to harvest it.
Keith Eckel, 61, a fourth-generation farmer and the owner of Fred W. Eckel Sons Farms, said he saw a dramatic decline last summer in the number of migrant workers who showed up to pick tomatoes at his 2,000-acre farm in northeastern Pennsylvania.
He said Congress' failure to approve comprehensive immigration reform had hindered his ability to hire enough workers to get his crop to the market. Most of Eckel's workers came from Mexico.
"There are a number of workers hesitant to travel, legal or illegal, because of the scrutiny they are now under," said Eckel, whose tomatoes have been shipped to supermarkets and restaurants throughout the eastern United States. "So there are less workers crossing state lines."
Eckel, who planted 2.2 million tomato plants last year, said he also will stop growing pumpkins and plant half as much sweet corn as usual, resulting in a loss of nearly 175 jobs.
Eckel, one of the largest growers of fresh-market tomatoes in the Northeast, said it cost him $1.5 million to $2 million to plant and harvest a tomato crop , too much of an investment to risk not having enough workers at harvest time.
"The system to provide our labor is broken and the emotion surrounding the immigration issue is standing in the way of those in the political arena moving forward to solve it," Eckel told a news conference at his farm in Clarks Summit.
(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...
tell the Welfare Rats they either pick... or lose their free ride.
Ummm.... Better read post #41 before you go much further.
The simple and logical answer is, they would prefer the higher
paying jobs without all the intensive labor. He would still lose.
If you look at the details of those subsidies, I don’t think you’ll find any for tomatoes or pumpkins. And I didn’t see any indication they plan to stop planting corn or any other crop we’re giving them subsidies for.
If they can’t find anyone to pick the tomatoes, how are they going to find someone to pick the corn? Are they collecting subsidies for producing a crop that they cannot produce? Or are they lying about not being able to find workers to pick the crops?
Next rich capitalist needs to invent the tomato picker. NOW.
If his average wage is $16.59 per hour, how much should he pay?
Hasn’t that been copyrighted by now?
Hey, maybe that’s his idea of inexpensive. But like I said, get rid of welfare, and he’ll get his workers.
Get rid of the free ride in the first place, and they will pick.
His workers are as close as Philadelphia, PA and Newark, NJ.
Knock off all the entitlement programs that these potential workers suck at the tit of (going back to LBJ) and voila there’s your home grown work force.
Every day I open my store, and especially on days it's not open.
If you think this farmer is making a political statement and didn't try to find workers, your immigration psychosis is at a dangerous level.
Bull. Somehow crops get harvested around the United States, and it does not depend upon a migrant illegal. Some companies even offer retirement benefits to encourage return employees...
This country has a SERIOUS problem with illegal immigrant, but doing NOTHING is just as bad.
Gosh, how many temporary work visas are issued in the United States each year? Half a million? Please.
Congress is doing this country a serious disservice to it's citizens by not addressing this issue in a balanced sensible fashion.
They're doing a disservice by turning the debate into a pandering jaunt for illegal alien supporters.
But that's 'exploiting children' the liberals would scream. Personally I think most college students would be served well by spending a summer picking on a farm.
works for me... unless they are mentally incapable or too disabled to work... SCREW-EM!!!
>>>But that’s ‘exploiting children’ the liberals would scream.
Notice how the liberal laws are always creating the problem?
LOL... He runs a forth generation, multi million dollar business and he cant' find 175 workers? He deserves to go out of business.
He's all too used to getting rich on the backs of the illegals and shifting all their costs and benefits onto the backs of the taxpayers.
This is who the Republican leadership is pandering to. A few campaign dollars from guys like this and they're ready to toss conservatives under the bus.
Karl Rove, you fool! It's the height of Republican stupidity when "comprehensive" amnesty would be bring in 20 million new Democrat voters in these days of razor thin election margins.
Eckel...Move to Mexico!
It’s time you pay your own way!
um - lemme guess what hes gonna grow now....biofuel?
Bingo!
"The acreage he previously devoted to tomatoes and pumpkins will be converted to field corn that is harvested by machines."
He's just switching to the latest high priced crop. The demand for corn to support ethanol and other bio-fuel uses will keep the price of corn high -- plus I'm sure there are subsidies to be had.
"Eckel, who planted 2.2 million tomato plants last year, said he also will stop growing pumpkins and plant half as much sweet corn as usual, resulting in a loss of nearly 175 jobs."
Sorry Mr. Eckel, but if there aren't any takers for the jobs you used to offer, but don't intend to offer in the future then they can't be "lost".
Already done and linked above. Maybe some rich capitalist needs to buy a bunch of advanced harvesting equipment and rent it out to smaller farmers.
“Keith Eckel, 61...”
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So he decides to retire and his sons don’t want to take over the business, so he decides to make it into a political statement.
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