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.
Minnesota Farms Depend on Immigrant Workers and Foreign Students
Jim Riddle is the owner of Blue Fruit Farm in Winona, Minnesota, where he raises organic perennial fruits on a 5-acre plot of land. Riddle and his wife keep the operation small so they can get by on their own labor and that of crew leaders and a handful of… Read More
Guatemalan Immigrant Works to Boost Earnings for Small U.S. Farms
Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin was born and raised in Guatemala and came to the United States in 1992 after his wife, Amy, who was born and raised in the United States, enrolled in a master’s degree program at the University of Minnesota. “We had made education part of our promise to each… Read More
Utah Farmer: ‘Not Once’ Has an American Applied to Milk My Cows
In November 2016, shortly after the presidential election, Ron Gibson had to reduce his Utah dairy farm’s milking schedule from four times a day to three times a day. There weren’t enough people on staff to do the work, as many immigrant laborers had disappeared from the area after the… Read More
Migrant Worker Shortage Increases Strain on Oregon’s Dairy Farmers
Under the current agricultural guest worker program, farmers can hire foreign laborers for a maximum 10-month season only. But try explaining that to the cows, which must be milked year-round, two to three times a day. “The guest worker program doesn’t meet the needs of dairy farmers,” says Tami Kerr,… Read More
Immigrants Add Billions to GDP Yet ‘Constantly Under Threat,’ Says Organizer
Argentinian immigrant Beatriz Maya has devoted her career to helping fellow Latinos — both immigrants and natives — build productive, successful lives in the United States. As the founder of La Conexion de Wood County, she helps provide capacity building and cultural activities, language education, and advocacy for an estimated… Read More
No Immigrant Workers Means No Grapes — or Wine — Say Growers
During the recent recession, there was good money to be made in agriculture jobs in Oregon’s Rogue Valley. Yet, despite hourly rates that reached $20 an hour, few American workers applied. “Despite the huge pool of unemployed people, no one came out,” says Jeffrey M., the owner of a prominent… Read More
Ohio Town Welcomes Immigrants — for its Economic Wellbeing
Bruce Jeffers, a Bowling Green City Council member, knows that the factories and farms in his community — and in several surrounding counties — are facing a labor shortage. But one demographic is helping to revive places struggling with a declining and aging population: “Immigrants bring value to our communities,”… Read More
Kentucky Crop And Tobacco Farmer Says: Without Migrant Labor, ‘I Couldn’t Do What I Do’
Charlie Hancock has been farming in Tennessee for 37 years, and without foreign labor, he says, “there’s absolutely no way I could do what I do.” Hancock’s diverse range of crops — soybeans, wheat, straw, corn, and dark-fired tobacco — generates annual revenue of $700,000. But the labor-intensive harvesting work keeps… Read More
Fact: Wisconsin Dairy Needs Immigrants, Says Farmer
Ryan Klussendorf was born and raised on a Wisconsin Dairy farm, and today he owns his own operation, tending to 130 cows daily. “Farming isn’t a glorious lifestyle,” he says. “It’s 24/7/365. But it gets in your blood.” Klussendorf’s business, Broadlands Grass Farm, is small enough that he can perform… Read More
Ohio’s Largest Industry Depends on Migrant Labor, Says Farmer
For the last 10 years, Ohio farmer Tom Witten has relied on temporary workers from El Salvador to farm the 290 acres of sweet corn, tomatoes, and other labor-intensive crops that account for a substantial part of his business. He says the visa application process for these workers is expensive… 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.
