US Crops depend on immigrant laborers...

Los Angeles article, Thursday, 11 January 2007 by nicole.gaouette@lattimes.com:

"California's Democratic senators introduced legislation Wednesday that would put some illegal immigrant farm workers on path to citizenship and revamp a little used agricultural guest workers program..."

The number one question among farmers these days is, "Will there be enough workers to bring in the harvest?"

"About a million undocumented laborers work California's 76,500 farms, making up about 90% of the state's agricultural payroll..."

One Farmer, Toni Scully, a Lake County pear grower, estimates that, "about 25 percent of the county crop was lost in 2006 due to labor shortages."

It's a bi-partisan bill which has current favor of passing, but supporters want more. As it stands,it H-2A guest program includes over 300 pages of regulations and requires farmers to go through 60 different steps. "Only 2% of American agriculture uses the program cause it is so difficult to use," says Sharon Hughes, executive vice president of the National Council of Agriclutural Employers.


Learn more about the immigration "blue card" law here:


Statement of Senator Dianne Feinstein
The Need for AgJOBS is Now

Importance of the Blue Card Program for Agriculture
Floor Statement: May 22, 2006

Converting Illegal Aliens to Blue Card Guest Workers
by George F. McClure

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