Many farmers prefer illegal labor to H2a program

[LilOlLady]

Many farmers prefer illegal labor to H2a program
(12/31/08)

The Bush Administration is pushing last-minute changes to the national farm labor law known as H2A. New rules designed to cut bureaucracy are set to go into effect in mid-January. The H2A system has already caught on here in the North Country, gaining wide acceptance in Champlain Valley apple orchards. Dairy farmers say they hope H2A can be adapted to help fill their labor shortage. But nationwide, the vast majority of farms still prefer to use undocumented or illegal workers. Brian Mann has our story.

NCPR News - Many farmers prefer illegal labor to H2a program

Because they can mis-treat illegals and pay them less then they would have to pay H-2A workers.

Amnesty will still leave farmer short of workers because they don't want to work in dirty back breaking hot sun farms. After the 1986 amnesty those working on farms moved to inner city jobs. Only 2% of the illegal aliens labor force work on farms. What are the others working?
Legalize farm workers and farmers will lose them to inner city jobs. Do you find legal immigrants working on farm? No.

 

[LilOlLady]

U.S. citizens comprise 25 percent of all domestic crop laborers. Another 21 percent are legal immigrants. Together, they make up nearly half of the agricultural workers that provide the nation's food supply. Yet the media is conspicuously silent on these legal farm workers, while devoting copious copy to the interests of their illegal competitors and their employers.
Media To Legal Farm Workers: We're Just Not That Into You | NumbersUSA - For Lower Immigration Levels

News to me. So farmers would not have their crop rotting in the field after all. No illegal workers and they would make up the difference in H-2A workers. Greed drive them perfer illegal worker also.


The new program is veterans are being trained in a program for them to be farmers.

Sacramento military veterans intern as vegetable farmers with coalition - Sacramento Nutrition | Examiner.com

Farmer-Veterans Go to Farm Aid » FVC Home

 

[whitehall]

Many farmers in the north and south preferred slave labor to paid help in the early 1800's. You can understand their motivation but it don't make it right.