MONTEREY COUNTY HERALD

December 17, 2005

Southland looking for farm labor

By Don Curlee

A shortage of farm labor of crisis proportions is developing in the Imperial Valley, where 90 percent of the country’s winter vegetables are grown.

Although crops such as broccoli, cauliflower, asparagrus and melons were planted there months ago, the severe shortage of laborers became apparent as harvest time began in mid-November.  The huge volume of winter carrots is of less concern because they are harvested by machine.

Some farmers and other agricultural leaders in the area are saying the lack of personnel to pick the crops might result in crops rotting in the fields. An even safer prediction is that winter vegetables will cost more as the supply fails to keep up with demand.

The common practice for employers and labor contractors is to meet laborers who cross into California from Mexico at Calexico each morning and transport them to work sites.

While entry procedures have been tightened, causing greater delays than before, that is not the major cause of the shortage. Workers are just not showing up.

Aaron Schoneman, manager of the Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association, says some are tending vegetable farms just across the border, not willing to put up with the hassle of daily border crossings. Tightened border security by authorities and the volunteer minutemen discourages illegals.

Some members of Schoneman's organization are saying the shortage might amount to as many as 40,000 workers over the course of the season, which ends in April. Citrus growers in the area say they are experiencing losses of $15,000 a day because labor is short by 30 percent to 40 percent compared to past years.

What Schoneman and many other agricultural observers believe is needed is a modern and responsive immigration policy, one that allows guest workers from Mexico or further south to reside in the United States for specified periods, and return home when their work assignments are complete.

Delegations have made this point in visits to Washington, D.C., to speak with congressmen, senators, labor and immigration authorities, anybody who listens. They sometimes wonder if anybody is.

The best vehicle for accomplishing the needs they identify is a bill in Congress known familiarly as AgJOBS. It has been a dozen or more years in the making and has received notable endorsements from representatives in both parties, but higher profile legislative business always seems to keep it from reaching a decision point.

In the meantime, the 435,000 acres of productive farmland in California's winter garden spot, and additional land in Yuma and Blythe, is in a precarious position this winter. And so are the grocery shopping budgets of millions of consumers across the country.