Major Northeast tomato grower ends crop over migrant shortage

Philly.com ^ | Mar. 24, 2008 | MICHAEL RUBINKAM

[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.

[ansel12]

“If your profit margin relies on a criminal conspiracy to suppress wages, then you deserve to be out of business.
Employ illegals and lose your business should be the law of the land.”

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Beautifully said

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Thank you.

[NittanyLion]

Congress is doing this country a serious disservice to it's citizens by not addressing this issue in a balanced sensible fashion

"Balanced sensible"? ROFL - is that code for "reward lawbreakers"?

[WashingtonSource]

Wonderful news. Of course, he could get people to pick them if he paid more.

[Popman]

"Balanced sensible"? ROFL - is that code for "reward lawbreakers"?

What the hell is wrong with you people?

This is the third time what I said has been completely misconstrued.

There is a balance between shooting on sight illegals at the border and complete amnesty. Is there a complete answer, probably not.

No, its doesn't mean "reward lawbreakers", it means our asshats in Congress have a legal constitutional mandate to address the the border and what to do with the illegal in this country.

McCain / Kennedy obviously wasn't the answer. Mass deportation is impossible.

How about Congress work together leaving aside vitriol partisanship for the good of the country and address this issue that first secures our borders and then address the illegals already here. Our borders are almost completely open to any turd world welfare wanna be strolling across.

[NittanyLion]

Reread the entire post to which I replied. The context implies that this farmer cannot find migrant workers, therefore, a balanced and sensible solution must be reached so he can turn a profit. Based on the wording you’re clearly implying we should loosen our immigration policy.

[JustaDumbBlonde]

If you haven't tried to find employees to do field work, don't be so critical. It is nearly impossible to find citizens that want to pick vegetables, even when the pay is good. I am not really familiar with PA weather in the summer, but here in Louisiana it is not attractive to work ten hours in the field when it is 98 degrees with 90 percent humidity, even when the pay is good.

Temporary workers from Guatemala and Mexico do much of the work in this area and the cost is also high because you have to furnish transportation, meals and living accomodations that meet governmental requirements.