Can You Believe It?

Trey Smith

With anti-immigration fervor reaching a fevered pitch in many states, new laws have been passed to stem the flow of illegals. While conservatives pat themselves on the back for a job "well done," an odd thing has occurred. Surprising as it might be to some, farmers are reporting LABOR SHORTAGES!

It's SO hard to believe. (Note: That last statement was dripping with sarcasm.)

On more than 10,000 acres of drained swampland in western New York, Maureen Torrey’s family farm grows an assortment of vegetables in the dark, nutrient-rich soil known as “Elba muck.” Like other farms in the area, Torrey Farms Inc. of Elba, N.Y., depends on seasonal labor, mainly undocumented field hands from Mexico, to pick, package and ship its cabbage, cucumbers, squash, green beans and onions throughout the nation.

With the peak harvest season at hand, Torrey’s concerns about a labor shortage are growing. A crackdown on illegal immigration, more job opportunities in Mexico and rising fees charged by smugglers are reducing the number of workers who cross the U.S. border illegally each year to help make up more than 60 percent of U.S. farmworkers.

The American Farm Bureau Federation projects $5 billion to $9 billion in annual produce-industry losses because of the labor shortages...
~ from Fewer Workers Cross Border, Creating U.S. Farm Labor Shortage by Tony Pugh ~