Agriculture
Agriculture and farming is a cherished part of American identity and remains an important part of the American economy. In 2020, the agriculture, fishing, and forestry industries contributed more than $175 billion to U.S. GDP and supported more than 2.3 million workers. The health of America's farms and the agriculture industry, however, is tied directly to immigration. Farmers frequently worry about finding enough workers as few Americans seem willing to take on the most difficult and physical farm jobs—particularly those harvesting fresh fruits and vegetables. Yet the H-2A visa, the only agricultural visa currently available to American farms, is too expensive and cumbersome to work for many U.S. growers. We explore this issue—and the way it costs our economy—below.
Moving Immigration Reform Forward
Hanna Siegel, Deputy Director of the Partnership for a New American Economy says with the mid-term election over, there may be a window of opportunity in early 2015 for immigration reform. Speaking with Brownfield at the recent American Agri-Women National Convention, Siegel said while it will be easier for… Read More
To thrive, immigration reform is a must
There were nearly $2 billion worth of crops left to rot in U.S. fields last year — crops that farmers depend on seasonal immigrant workers to pick. Immigrants who are providing labor in a field with an abundance of work to do and a shortage of domestic help to do… Read More
Letter: Immigration policy reform necessary
Our American colleges and universities have a proud tradition of educating the world’s best and brightest. Parents from all over the world send their kids here for their education. Guess what happens after they graduate? Our broken immigration system gives them six months to get out of our country. Many… Read More
Labor shortage looms: Record crops coming and Mid-Columbia farmers not ready
Columbia Basin and Yakima Valley farmers are looking for skilled workers to hand pick apples, harvest wine grapes, sort newly harvested onions and weed rows of blueberry bushes. They need them now, but finding enough workers is tough because of localized shortages of seasonal, skilled farmworkers and a tight labor… Read More
10 Reasons Farmers Won’t Be Able to Feed You without Immigration Reform
72% of farm workers are foreign-born. According to a 2010 survey, 47% of agricultural employers are not satisfied with the H-2A visa program, the only visa program in the US designed to bring in temporary agricultural workers, and 42% will not use it because it… Read More
Don’t forget about the economics of immigration reform
The crisis on the border might be dominating headlines when it comes to immigration. It’s an important aspect of the issue, but it should not be our only focus when it comes to improving our broken system. Ohio Agri-Women, a group dedicated to promoting and improving agriculture for the benefit… Read More
Hope for the unfinished business of immigration reform
Conventional wisdom has it that immigration reform is dead. I couldn’t disagree more. Though action on reform this year is unlikely, the political calculus is shifting, creating a window of opportunity in 2015. Even so, stubborn myths persist about immigration reform, namely, that Republicans don’t support it, that it’s bad… Read More
Don’t forget about the economics of immigration reform
The crisis on the border might be dominating the headlines when it comes to immigration. It’s an important aspect of the issue, no doubt, but it should not be our only focus when it comes to improving our broken system. Ohio Agri-Women, a group… Read More
Restauranteur: Meaningful immigration reform needed this year
In Oklahoma, immigrants are making a significant mark in starting new businesses. Despite accounting for 5.5 percent of the state’s population, 7 percent of the state’s business owners are foreign born. Oklahoma’s foreign-born entrepreneurs generate more than $475 million in annual revenue, according to the Partnership for a New American… Read More
There’s reason for optimism on immigration
The drive to reform America’s broken immigration system suffered a major blow last week when neither the U.S. Senate nor the U.S. House could manage to agree on an appropriation to deal with the thousands of children, many traveling without their parents, who are arriving at our southern border every… Read More
Immigrants and American Farms
In 2019, more than half of all hired farmworkers in the United States were immigrants, or roughly 450,000 workers. In many states known for their fresh produce, immigrant farm laborers make up large shares of miscellaneous agriculture workers—the occupation that includes those hand picking crops in the field.
Share of Miscellaneous Agricultural Workers in Crop Production, Undocumented, 2019
Farm Labor Shortages
In recent years, the number of new immigrants arriving in the country to work in agriculture has fallen by 75 percent. Rising wages indicate this has led to a major labor shortage on U.S. farms—making it difficult for many growers to stay in business or expand their operations. The workers left are also aging rapidly, meaning shortages will likely worsen as they retire.
Decline in Key States
The Aging of Foreign-Born Farm Workers
The Cost of Our Farm Labor Shortage
Because agriculture is intertwined with so many other industries in our economy—such as transportation, packing, and irrigation—a shortage of farm workers hurts the U.S. economy more broadly. We estimate U.S. growers would have produced $3.1 billion more in fresh fruits and vegetables per year by 2014 had farm labor not been an issue. The table in this section shows the costs to the U.S. economy for failing to meet this target.
Rising Imports
In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables Americans eat that is imported. Although many factors play into this phenomenon, we estimate labor shortages alone explain 27 percent of the market share decline experienced by U.S. growers from 1998-2000 to 2010-2012. Had growers maintained their hold on the domestic market, an estimated 89,300 additional U.S. jobs would have been created by 2012.
Jobs Americans Won’t Do
U.S. fresh produce growers have long said that few, if any, American workers are willing to take on the most arduous farm jobs. We studied this issue in North Carolina, examining how many American workers actually applied for heavily advertised farming positions in 2011, a period when the country was still recovering from the recession. The table in this section shows the results.
The H-2A Visa
The H-2A visa program, the only visa currently available to bring in temporary agriculture workers, is too cumbersome and unworkable for many farms. Farmers desperate for workers frequently go through the application process only to receive their laborers late, resulting in crop loss.
Sources:
1 “Why Domestic Agriculture Needs New, Workable Farm Labor Alternatives Now,” National Council of Agricultural Employers, 2011. Available online.
2Ibid.
3Ibid.
America's story is an immigrant story.
