Immigration raids, labor shortage to cost New York farms millions
Immigration raids, labor shortage to cost New York farms millions
WASHINGTON -- The largest lenders of New York family farms warned the week of Oct. 9-13 that the recent raids by immigration authorities and the lack of a stable workforce could result in a loss of more than 200,000 acres of crop production and millions of dollars in that state.
Hundreds of family farms will go out of business because of the financial losses from the labor problems created by raids and the threat of raids, said the Farm Credit Associations of New York, referring to unannounced worker checks underway by the Immigration & Customs Enforcement Agency. Based on past experience these farms are not likely to come back into production.
Without comprehensive immigration reform legislation from Congress, New York will lose 176 vegetable farms encompassing 32,000 acres at a cost of $35 million, Michael Gerber, president and chief executive officer of Farm Credit of Western New York, William Lipinski, president and CEO of First Pioneer Farm Credit, and George Putnam, president and CEO of Yankee Farm Credit, said in a statement. Another 225 farms reaching 18,600 acres and producing $18 million worth of product will be lost if the current labor situation continues for the next two years.
The current labor shortage is amounting to "a perfect storm" for producers nationwide, said Craig Regelbrugge, co-chair of the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform. While pear growers are watching fresh fruit rot on the trees, table grape and other commodities are experiencing rejections at the packinghouse from overripe fruit, he said.
Attempts to pass AgJOBs legislation -- a bipartisan-supported overhaul of the current H-2A program for the agricultural industry -- failed in recent weeks. President Bush has yet to sign a controversial bill that would wall off 700 miles on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Another bill, which funds the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for next fiscal year, was signed by President Bush and included $1.2 billion to build the security barrier. One provision in that bill placed a temporary fix to the H-2B visa cap, which allows workers who entered during the past three years not to be counted against the 66,000 per year cap.
Many industries, including produce packers, rely on this program, said Mr. Regelbrugge.
He urged the produce industry to request meetings with lawmakers to obtain commitments to respond to the growing crisis during the campaign season. It is unclear whether the issue will resurface during a lame-duck Congress no matter how the elections fall, he said.
But bottom line, he added, is that there are operations that cannot continue to wait for reforms. "Businesses are already making the decision to plant less and move production off shore," he said.
"While farmers must deal with natural disasters and wide price fluctuations as a result of global market conditions, the labor situation is a man-made disaster," the New York credit associations said in their statement. "It is imperative that Congress address this situation when it returns to Washington in November."
Hundreds of family farms will go out of business because of the financial losses from the labor problems created by raids and the threat of raids, said the Farm Credit Associations of New York, referring to unannounced worker checks underway by the Immigration & Customs Enforcement Agency. Based on past experience these farms are not likely to come back into production.
Without comprehensive immigration reform legislation from Congress, New York will lose 176 vegetable farms encompassing 32,000 acres at a cost of $35 million, Michael Gerber, president and chief executive officer of Farm Credit of Western New York, William Lipinski, president and CEO of First Pioneer Farm Credit, and George Putnam, president and CEO of Yankee Farm Credit, said in a statement. Another 225 farms reaching 18,600 acres and producing $18 million worth of product will be lost if the current labor situation continues for the next two years.
The current labor shortage is amounting to "a perfect storm" for producers nationwide, said Craig Regelbrugge, co-chair of the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform. While pear growers are watching fresh fruit rot on the trees, table grape and other commodities are experiencing rejections at the packinghouse from overripe fruit, he said.
Attempts to pass AgJOBs legislation -- a bipartisan-supported overhaul of the current H-2A program for the agricultural industry -- failed in recent weeks. President Bush has yet to sign a controversial bill that would wall off 700 miles on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Another bill, which funds the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for next fiscal year, was signed by President Bush and included $1.2 billion to build the security barrier. One provision in that bill placed a temporary fix to the H-2B visa cap, which allows workers who entered during the past three years not to be counted against the 66,000 per year cap.
Many industries, including produce packers, rely on this program, said Mr. Regelbrugge.
He urged the produce industry to request meetings with lawmakers to obtain commitments to respond to the growing crisis during the campaign season. It is unclear whether the issue will resurface during a lame-duck Congress no matter how the elections fall, he said.
But bottom line, he added, is that there are operations that cannot continue to wait for reforms. "Businesses are already making the decision to plant less and move production off shore," he said.
"While farmers must deal with natural disasters and wide price fluctuations as a result of global market conditions, the labor situation is a man-made disaster," the New York credit associations said in their statement. "It is imperative that Congress address this situation when it returns to Washington in November."
