KUSA-TV (Denver, Colorado)

June 22, 2009

Farming jobs being picked clean by U.S. residents

LAFAYETTE - It is hot, there is no shade from the unforgiving Colorado sun, other than the hats that protect their faces.

Three people are helping Jason Condon and the Isabelle Farm grow organic radishes, lettuce, tomatoes and potatoes for sale mainly here, in Colorado.

Anne-Marie Cory got this part-time job at the Lafayette farm last year. This is her job away from her other part-time office gig.

"I have to have my hands in the dirt," Cory said.

Cory loves this job, a job that's becoming increasingly competitive.

Farmers can use what's called the H-2A program to recruit foreign workers to do temporary or seasonal work here in the U.S.

From July to September of 2008, there were 171 H2-A jobs posted. Thirty-nine Americans applied for those positions.

The very next quarter, in the final three months of 2008, 887 Americans applied for the 981 H-2A available. And as unemployment jumped at the beginning of 2009, so did applications from Americans; 1,799 applied for 726 jobs. That means instead of the jobs being filled by foreign or migrant workers, they are mostly going to U.S. residents.

"A lot of the American workers are now applying for farm jobs that maybe they may not have applied for in the past," said Olga Ruiz, state monitor advocate with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. "People who started out in agriculture or even field labor who got out of that field maybe went into construction or other types of work, who maybe got laid off for whatever reason, decided they wanted to go back to farm work, because it's a paycheck and they need it."

Condon posted two farm hand positions on Craigslist in April. He said he had to turn people away. Thirty-eight people applied.

"We had people with doctorates, we had people with masters degrees we had people with all sorts of different career backgrounds," he said. "Carpenters, people who've worked on farms in other countries, people who have managed museums, all sorts of things you would never suspect you would find on a farm labor application."

Condon says it's great for his small organic farm.

"Growing food for people is kind of a powerful thing and once you kind of do it, it's surprisingly addictive," he said.

Condon says he's kept some of those applications for the time he might need extra help.

Those looking for the available jobs on farms can find listings at their local workforce centers.