Random thoughts on ag labor shortage

dooleysm · Mar 4, 2008

Robert, we're getting caught up in semantics here. If I have offended you in some way, I'm sorry, it was not my intention. We're obviously talking of wealth in 2 different contexts. I'm talking of wealth in comparison to a migrant worker with little more than the shirt on his back and a beaten down trailer that he shares with who knows how many others. To him I'm guessing you're wealthy, I know he would consider me wealthy. I'm pretty sure he would consider anyone that could afford a tractor to be wealthy.

I understand that farmers have good years and bad years, just like everyone else. I'm not a farmer, but I am friends with and know plenty of them. The ones I know aren't rolling in money, but they aren't anywhere near the poorhouse either.

I get it, you work hard every day, so do I, so does everyone on this board, we're all 'working class' because we go to work every day and earn our paychecks. You're reading way more into my words than I meant. I have all the respect in the world for anyone that works to support their family, no matter their chosen vocation. I've helped my wife's uncle put up hay many times. I would take a week of vacation to help him if he needed it, without expecting any pay, because he is family, but I don't think it's realistic to expect a stranger to do the same, which is the whole point of this thread.

jimg · Mar 4, 2008

Robert_in_NY said:
I am not referring to the illegal workers. Most of those guys ran away when the US cracked down on them. But they put restrictions on how many migrants can get work visas so there are not enough willing workers around to help these farms anymore.

Around here the migrants would go to the farms looking for work. Most unemployed legal citizens would rather go to the DSS looking for handouts then go to a farm looking for work. I would rather hire Americans to help but except for kids they are almost impossible to find on a farm unless they are running the farm operations.

OK, got it. Its hard to differentiate anymore migrants from illegals b/c they seem to mix/match so readily. Also didnt realize there was a visa cut back. At least you have some kids to hire who are also willing. My hats off to them!!!!

Robert_in_NY · Mar 4, 2008

jimg said:
OK, got it. Its hard to differentiate anymore migrants from illegals b/c they seem to mix/match so readily. Also didnt realize there was a visa cut back. At least you have some kids to hire who are also willing. My hats off to them!!!!

Well, I don't have an abundance of kids who are willing to work either. My main helper is 19 and her brother is 16 now. They are my most reliable help as they grew up haying with their father. Once he quit they started working with me. I have had a lot of other kids come and work half a day and quit.

Robert_in_NY · Mar 4, 2008

dooleysm said:
Robert, we're getting caught up in semantics here. If I have offended you in some way, I'm sorry, it was not my intention. We're obviously talking of wealth in 2 different contexts. I'm talking of wealth in comparison to a migrant worker with little more than the shirt on his back and a beaten down trailer that he shares with who knows how many others. To him I'm guessing you're wealthy, I know he would consider me wealthy. I'm pretty sure he would consider anyone that could afford a tractor to be wealthy.

I understand that farmers have good years and bad years, just like everyone else. I'm not a farmer, but I am friends with and know plenty of them. The ones I know aren't rolling in money, but they aren't anywhere near the poorhouse either.

I get it, you work hard every day, so do I, so does everyone on this board, we're all 'working class' because we go to work every day and earn our paychecks. You're reading way more into my words than I meant. I have all the respect in the world for anyone that works to support their family, no matter their chosen vocation. I've helped my wife's uncle put up hay many times. I would take a week of vacation to help him if he needed it, without expecting any pay, because he is family, but I don't think it's realistic to expect a stranger to do the same, which is the whole point of this thread.

I should apoligize. It seems like I run into people on a regular basis who think all farmers are wealthy because they upgrade a tractor or buy a new truck. Most of them know nothing about the farmers they are talking about so I have grown a little defensive on this subject and I shouldn't have took things as seriously as I did.

AMP762 · Mar 4, 2008

And to think,with all these modern machines and most of our food and goods coming from somewhere else we can't do what our grand parents did.Wonder why?

marimus · Mar 5, 2008

They advertise in the paper here, looking for people to operate machinery. I think they are looking for anyone who can do from 1-3 months driving headers etc for the harvest.

Anyway, they organise all the flights, accomadation etc and you get a vacation at the end and a paycheck.

Don't know how many people take up the offer though.

I also heard that they are offering a similar deal in the USA for tradesmen to come work down here, since we are experiencing a huge skilled labour shortage in the construction industry.

JazzDad · Mar 5, 2008

Well, I didn't intend to set a firestorm. I wanted an informal poll to see if folks here, with a farming/ agriculture/ gardening slant, would be willing to chip in if the need were more publicized. I am impressed by the general tendency of a nation to 'do what it takes' during, say, times of war. During the Second World War we planted victory gardens in the US, and in Britain every extra patch of ground was worked to produce food and war materiel. Generally, everyone did their part. If we are not directly, personally threatened by a war, are we motivated to help our fellow man? It seems so wasteful that we can grow food today, yet can't harvest it. (And yes, it was an NPR story, so perhaps I should challenge them for the basis of their story.)

Tororider · Mar 5, 2008

Well to answer the original question, no I wouldn't take a week of vacation to work for minimum wage picking vegetables. I too have a family that I would spend time with, and should I want to do charitable work, there are plenty of people in the U.S. that need help rebuilding homes, not to mention Katrina cleanup.

The government has really screwed things up with the H2B work visas. For those of you who don't know. A few years ago, they had a much higher number of work visas available for migrant workers. These visas allowed them to come work for part of a year, in industries as landscaping, farming, and the hotel industry. They have since lowered the number of work visas to, correct me if I am wrong, 66,000. A pitifully low number. When pundits estimate the number of immigrants, illegal or otherwise, working in the U.S. at over 10 million, 66,000 seems pretty silly. I am not here to debate what should be done with illegal immigrants, but the labor pool for jobs such as those described above is too low. I had a landscaping company, which I have since sold as I couldn't find good labor. I agree with Robert, youth in our country are for lack of a better term, fat and lazy, and don't want to work hard. I paid between 10-15$ an hour, which seems to me pretty good for a high school/college student. But apparently the work is too hard.

With regards to wealth. Most immigrants choose to live in smaller houses/apartments to save money. They would rather save money now and send more back home, where they are considered wealthy. They can work for a relatively short amount of years here, and retire in Mexico(other hispanic nations) and live very comfortably. So wealth is all in the eye of the beholder and based on individual perspective.

Just my two cents.

Robert_in_NY · Mar 5, 2008

The labor shortage has crippled the circus industry also. There was a clip on the news the other day about quite a few of the big circus companies being shut down because they do not have the labor to set up the circus let alone take it all back down and move to the next town.

But isn't unemployment in the US at a rather high rate right now