MFB Wants Secure Access to Foreign Farm Labor

LANSING - Mar 2/06 - MFB -- Who will pick the fruit? Who's going to milk the cows? Will Americans accept foreign-grown produce?

More than 100 Michigan farmers will seek answers to these questions when they travel to Washington, D.C., March 15-17, and lobby lawmakers on immigration reform and other national issues. The lobbying activity is the crux of the Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) Washington Legislative Seminar, an annual event where MFB members discuss priority agricultural issues with their elected officials.

High on this year's list of discussion topics is making temporary guest-worker provisions part of legislation for immigration reform. Without a guest-worker program, Michigan's specialty crop sector could sustain nearly $270 million in production losses annually. Nationally, up to one-third of the U.S. fruit and vegetable sector would disappear.

Approximately one million people nationwide work in the agriculture industry, many providing specialized skills required for the production of specialty crops, such as fruits and vegetables. Of the total, it's estimated that 500,000 to 750,000 are illegal U.S. citizens who obtained employment under false pretenses.

Legislation making its way through Congress would reform U.S. immigration policy, but the House-passed legislation primarily addresses enforcement and border security. The legislation offers no proposals for managing the existing agricultural work force, nor does it address how to handle future employment needs that cannot be met domestically.

Michigan is vulnerable because the state leads the nation in the production of tart cherries, cucumbers, carrots, celery, apples, asparagus, grapes, snap beans, sweet cherries, squash, processing tomatoes, plums and pumpkins. These commodities rely heavily on the availability of a specialized seasonal work force.

"Without a legal work force, Michigan farmers are at risk of losing productivity and leaving some of Michigan's most valuable crop land un-harvested. This loss in productivity will have a multiplying effect to local economies as well as the state tax rolls," said Megan Wheaton, MFB associate national legislative counsel.

"We don't support amnesty. We want secure borders. What we're looking for is a workable guest-worker program. Our current system is broken," said Wheaton.

H-2A is the only federal program that helps farmers hire guest-workers, but farmers have found the program to be ineffective and unreliable.

"The program is very bureaucratic. Commonly, a producer has to contract with an outside consultant in order to hire guest workers, and there's no guarantee the work force will be available when you need employees. Also, the program is seasonal in nature, so it doesn't benefit agricultural operations such as dairies that need labor year-round," said Wheaton.

Proposed Senate legislation offers guest-worker provisions for the hotel and restaurant industries. In Washington, D.C., Farm Bureau members will work to clarify any misconceptions lawmakers may have about the agriculture industry's employment of guest- workers.

"Farm Bureau members commonly pay their guest-workers above minimum wage and provide other benefits, such as health insurance, workman's compensation, as well as travel to and from their home country," said Wheaton.

In addition to immigration reform, seminar participants will lobby legislators on domestic energy production, agricultural trade and spending, and permanent repeal of the estate tax.

In between making office visits on Capitol Hill and hosting Michigan's U.S. representatives and senators at group breakfasts, seminar participants will hear from Chuck Conner, deputy secretary of the U.S Department of Agriculture, as well as officials representing the office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

Copyright (c) 2006 Michigan Farm Bureau