RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER

June 1, 2007

N.C. farmers say U.S. needs immigration reform

By Kristin Collins, Staff Writer

The N.C. Farm Bureau today kicked off a campaign to push for passage of the immigration proposal being debated in the U.S. Senate.

Farm Bureau President Larry Wooten said that the bill would give farmers the temporary workers they need and allow the trained workers already here, some of them illegally, to remain in the United States.

As a border crackdown continues, Wooten said farm labor is becoming increasingly difficult to find.

If immigration reform fails this year, Wooten said, "jobs will be lost and more farmland in North Carolina will be sold for development."

Several farmers who spoke warned that if they don't find a stable source of labor soon, they'll go out of business and the United States could be forced to import more of its food.

"We must have labor in order to succeed," said Tom Joyner, who farms sweet potatoes and cucumbers in Nash County. "We have growers now who are reluctant to plant crops because they're concerned they're not going to get them harvested."