U.S. Workers Vanishing in the Agricultural Industry

Agricultural producers are struggling to find workers that are willing to work long, hard hours. As the wages in the construction or oil and gas industry continue to rise, agricultural producers are finding it hard to keep up. According to an article from The Durango Herald, there simply are not enough U.S. workers who are willing to do the labor-intensive work that the agricultural industry demands.

According to author Samantha Fox, “Many workers used to be willing. But a few years ago, they started to move to other labor-intensive industries like oil fields or construction”. With this employment void, many producers are turning to H-2A workers. These workers come to the U.S. to work seasonally, and aren’t given immigrant status. According to Fox, “These workers cost more, require extensive paperwork and take a while to reach the fields”.

In this article, Fox addresses:

• The labor immigration process
• Why H-2A workers are costing more
• The problem farmers are facing with this labor shortage

As farmers struggle to compete with other industries, they are beginning to question the future of their business. Fox explains, “The harder it is to get U.S. workers, accompanied with the obstacles H-2A presents, there’s the question of how long producers can continue”. When crop yields are bad, the money spent on H-2A workers is basically a double loss. Does there need to be something done to help agriculture producers get the help they need?

To read more, see the full article from Samantha Fox in The Durango Herald.