U.S. agriculture continues to face labor shortages, with producers citing the need for Mexican workers in fruit orchards and dairy operations. Immigration rules, visa restrictions, and high program costs remain barriers to securing a consistent workforce.
"Immigrant labor is critical," said Brad Bouma, chairman emeritus of Select Milk Producers. "About 75% to 80% of our workforce is immigrant labor. Americans don't want to do this job, and if you hire them, they refuse to take a drug test."
Peach grower Jamey Vogel of Vogel Orchard in Fredericksburg, Texas, said production requires year-to-year access to Mexican labor. His 100-acre orchard, with 22 peach varieties, depends on hand work for pruning, thinning, and harvesting. "We have to have Mexican labor," Vogel said. "We have to have a good year-to-year supply of that labor."
Both Vogel and Bouma said workers from Mexico come to support their families and are not involved in crime. They expressed the need for a program to recruit immigrant labor legally and allow long-term employment for screened workers. Vogel suggested a system where workers are identified at the border, paperwork is completed, and employment is regulated with clear return dates.
Producers also expressed frustration with the Department of Labor's H-2A program. Vogel said its rules do not align with agriculture's seasonality, where labor demand fluctuates with crop size. Bouma noted that dairies do not qualify as they require year-round labor. "By the time we get one trained, they've got to go home," he said. "So, how do you plug in a guy that may be back in four months? It just creates disorder."
Bouma has increasingly used the TN visa program, which allows Mexican employees with agricultural or engineering degrees, or veterinary qualifications, to work in the U.S. for three years. He currently employs around 70 under this system, though he said the educational requirements exclude many potential laborers. The process takes 60 to 90 days once applicants are approved, and costs about US$5,000 per employee, including visas, paperwork, and housing. Employees may reapply for a second three-year term and eventually apply for permanent residency.
Bouma said many of his workers have been with him for decades, with some now U.S. citizens. He remains in talks with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins about the industry's needs.
Vogel summed up the situation: "U.S. agriculture needs the labor, and Mexican residents need jobs. So, why can't we have a good program that will take care of that? These men and women aren't taking jobs from U.S. citizens. We just need a good, simple program."
Source: FarmProgress
