A dramatic increase in labor costs has changed what specialty crops are being grown in one of the most agriculturally diverse states in the country.
Great Lakes Ag Labor Services General Manager Sarah Black has stated that continued increases in H-2A guest worker wages have been too much for many growers to absorb. “This year we’ve seen some of our vegetable guys, some of our diverse farms, stop growing vegetables because the margin is so tight and they can’t absorb a 10 to 20 percent increase on their labor costs when their margin is pennies on the crops they grow.”
Some growers are now encouraging his kids to get out of the business. Vegetable grower Russell Costanza says he did not make a profit this year and doesn’t know what the farm will do next year. “Also, what’s increased is our interest rates for operating money, we went from 3 to 8 percent,” said Costanza. “All this is adding up to a point of no return for us to continue growing food, we’re going to have to quit.”
Source: brownfieldagnews.com
