YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC November 12, 2006
Farm labor shortage defies definition
Don Weippert doesn't need an economist to tell him if there's a farm labor shortage. His thinner wallet speaks much louder. The Weippert Orchards owner said he had to pay pickers 15 percent to 20 percent more at his apple orchards throughout the Yakima Valley. Other growers report similar experiences, but Weippert said but most people outside the industry aren't paying much attention. "They're not aware of the degree of the problem that we have," he said. Therein lies the issue -- despite numerous reports of a labor shortage from growers, there's disagreement on the extent of the shortage. That's because there's no established definition of a labor shortage, so most people are left to their own personal perceptions, said Phil Martin, professor of agricultural economics at the University of California-Davis. "We will always have debates whether there is a farm labor shortage because we don't have an agreed upon definition and we don't have the data to measure shortage against any sort of definition," Martin said. Earlier this summer, there was widespread concern there wouldn't be enough pickers for a projected record apple crop. But hailstorms reduced the crop and many growers got through the season by paying higher wages, said Miles Kohl, executive director of the Yakima Valley Growers-Shippers Association. So far, however, no one has determined how much of the apple crop was left unharvested because pickers weren't available. Even when there's ample labor, some orchards are left to rot because the fruit's low value -- such as that from hail damage -- doesn't justify the cost of picking. Assessing the labor picture has always been difficult, and wrong perceptions have haunted the industry. In 1987, preliminary reports of shortages prompted the Washington Apple Commission to run commercials on Spanish-language radio stations in California, promising migrant workers "good money" and help with legalization if they came to pick apples. The workers came, but a late harvest left many without jobs. Some struggled to earn enough money to travel back home. Evergreen Legal Services sued the commission and its advertising agency on behalf of jobless pickers. The Apple Commission stood by its decision to advertise, but ultimately paid $617,000 to settle the lawsuit. At the time, it was the largest settlement ever obtained for farm workers. The incident prompted discussion on ways to better identify shortages. After almost two decades, forecasting labor needs is sill a struggle. The agricultural industry is fluid; labor demand can change daily from grower to grower, said Mike Gempler, executive director of the Washington Growers League. With thousands of farmers busy harvesting crops, it's difficult to collect data to gauge demand and supply for just one day. And even "if a person was able to take a snapshot of the labor demand and supply on any given day or any given moment, that would only apply for that (day's) labor situation," Gempler said. Several other factors, such as overlapping harvests, can cause an unbalanced distribution of workers. Plus, there will always be growers who struggle to find pickers and pickers who struggle to find jobs, Gempler said. "That doesn't indicate in itself that there is an overall labor shortage," he said. For several months, Washington State Employment Security officials were hesitant to declare a labor shortage because it did not have the data to back up such a claim. Each month, the agency surveys growers. But that data often takes months to collect and analyze. And it's hard to collect, because at harvest, growers have little time to reply, said Evelina Tainer, the agency's chief economist. "I think it's important, when you're trying to make a case from an economist standpoint, it's really important to have sufficient data to back up your statement because that's the only way we can get any credibility," she said. According to data it collected in September, apple farmers on average increased wages by about 20 percent since last year. Higher wages are a prime economic indicator of any worker shortage. The agency still lacks data to verify shortages reported in other crops, she said. It doesn't mean grower reports are invalid, only that such reports are one perspective of an overall labor picture. "You can give some credence to anecdotal evidence, but you can't make decisive statements," Tainer said. Industry officials agree that a lack of data makes it difficult to make a case for action. "When you go to plead your case in front of Congress for a guest worker program, what do we take with us as evidence that it's necessary?" Kohl asked. Gempler said he wants to hire an economist to quantify the labor situation. But given the time and effort needed to collect such data, he has other ways to evaluate the situation. A large number of reports from a variety of growers can give validity to declare a labor shortage. "We've had shortages in almost every crop all season long," Gempler said. "That's why it's different this year. Every kind of grower, whether it was apples, hops, asparagus or cherries É reported that they couldn't find enough people, and they reported that during the duration of the entire season." Tighter immigration enforcement and the competition from better-paying, less labor-intensive jobs indicate there could be fewer farm workers in the future, Gempler said. Given such trends, the industry must consider other solutions, such as developing mechanical harvesting machines and a comprehensive guest-worker program, he said. "We need to use the resources we have, which are limited in time and money, to find ways to stabilize our situation and find ways to recruit and attract qualified people," Gempler said. Weippert said government officials need to make it easier to bring in guest workers. But meanwhile, he's considering buying a mechanical lift that will require fewer workers in pruning, thinning and picking. It might be more expensive, he said. But given the long-term labor outlook, it might be worth the investment. "As the labor costs go up, it makes other alternatives more feasible," he said.
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