Two things need to happen. The farmers need to pay a bit more and America’s lazy ass youth need to get out there.
Unfortunately the farmers have to compete with surrounding areas with less restrictive immigrant policies, as well as import product. They may even be losing green card holders who are choosing to migrate elsewhere to be with their non card holding illegale relatives. It might be a pitiful but economically more understandable choice to let the crop rot rather than harvest it and sell it at loss prices. In which case maybe it could be opened, with the help of good samaritan protection laws, to such agencies as Second Harvest.
Why don’t you pay a bit more and get yore lazy old butt out there?
No - one thing needs to happen and happen now! Stop the gravy train. Cut welfare, subsidized housing, section 8, WIC, food stamps, free telephones and free cars.
If the recipients can't get out and go to work then let them lose some weight.
Not the welfare folk that take it for granted that they can avail of all this wonderful food via food stamp programs . . . ?
Two things need to happen. The farmers need to pay a bit more and America’s lazy ass youth need to get out there
They need to do neither. One of the reasons why more automation has not penetrated farming like all other fields is precisely because of the cheap labor available.
While employing the youth would be optional, optimally farmers would go with more automation instead.
Plus, we have to have the workers screened South of the border. We pay for that.
Then those workers have to be screened North of the border. We pay for that.
Then we have to provide transportation from the border to our location. We pay for that.
Then we have to provide housing for them. We pay for that.
Then we have to haul them to work and back again. We pay for that.
Then, if they get sick or injured, we pay for that.
We have to guarantee them a certain amount of hours of work, whether they do in fact work, or not. We pay for that.
But, the kicker is this. If they perceive they have a grievance, they call the USDA representative on their cell phone. Automatically, we are shut out of the process. The USDA rep. interviews them privately. The process takes years. The worker is already back in Mexico. WE have no recourse to the fines, lawyer fees to protect us, etc.
Finally, there is misconception that farm workers are underpaid. That is a common lie that is perpetrated by the ignorant to the uninformed. Very few work for minimum wage. Most positions, especially for those experienced, make significantly more. They have to be paid because they are responsible for operating equipment work ten of thousands of dollars.
Farming today is not 'Old MacDonald' walking behind a mule plowing a field. It is a highly specialized business.
Most of you see apples in the grocery store of your choice. It costs, before any money is made, $4,000 an acre to produce those apples. Do the math, multiply that by any number of acres you wish to see the amount of money required to farm in today's economy.
Don Pedro did not know anyone but Mexican illegals to work the farm. The farmer built his business on sand - illegal workers who no speaka english. Pedro is going to have to learn the culture and language of Americans and how to interact with them in a respectful way - they ain’t poor peasants from Mexico. In place with illegal labor is not available anymore, Pedro may not be an asset anymore.
Pedro is going to have to speak English and interact respectfully with network of Americans and legals. I know American high school boys who work summers on farms. They love it and make good money.
Ditch minimum wage and give kids credits towards college.
I was at a McDonalds today where they had a sign that they participate in E-Verify; I think that was to make people feel better that there were no visible Americans working there.
I didn’t feel better.
There is at least one more avenue to address the problem, all of which need to be used. Farmers need to invest in more automation / labor-saving machinery.