Farm Bill Holds Promise

As this season winds down, and you begin to plan ahead for next year’s plantings, the future may look a bit grim at first. This is especially true when it comes to future labor supplies. With the defeat of comprehensive immigration reform, the only thing that appears to be imminent is an uptick in crackdowns on illegal immigrants. The Bush administration has already announced that stepped-up enforcement is coming very soon (some areas of New York, Georgia, and elsewhere have already experienced this firsthand).

Perhaps Western Growers president and CEO Tom Nassif said it best when he noted that, “We are one of the only industries in this country that has been forthright with the fact that much of our workforce is illegal and have pleaded with the government to pass laws to address this problem. Instead of securing a legal, stable workforce for agriculture, these [Department of Homeland Security no-match rules] will make it even more difficult for farmers throughout Arizona, California, and the entire nation to find workers to harvest and process the crops all Americans enjoy.”

The rules that Nassif refers to force employers to correct the work status of their employees within a few months of receiving a notice from the government, or risk losing the employee. The problem is that the employee can simply jump from farm to farm to potentially avoid penalties. This obviously makes any consistent training very difficult.

However, despite the seeming lack of support for the needs of growers in the labor debate, there is at least one area in which the specialty agriculture industry has overcome many obstacles and has managed to gain critical recognition, and that is the Farm Bill. Despite threats to split the Farm Bill into two parts, which would undoubtedly have slashed the potential funds available for the produce industry, this new bill looks to hold great promise for the future needs of vegetable growers.

Addressing The Problem From The Inside

One area of the Farm Bill in particular calls for a $1 billion investment over 10 years to establish a Specialty Crop Research Initiative to provide science-based tools that address needs of specific crops and regions and which continue advancements in productivity and technology. While it’s a long-term endeavor, this could help address some of problems created by a smaller labor supply.

The eventual result of better production practices and technological innovations is improved efficiency in the field, and this is where research dollars should be allocated. Proper research funding could allow leaders in the vegetable industry to work closely with leaders in the scientific community to continue to develop the tools required to improve efficiencies in harvesting, field plotting, and yield monitoring. Eventually, it could also help improve variety development and help breeders and growers come up with new varieties geared toward the specific needs of both retailers and consumers.

The U.S. House has already approved its own version of the Farm Bill. The House Agriculture Committee agreed to $1.7 billion in specialty crop funding for such things as research, state block grants, and programs such as market access and fruit and vegetable snacks in the schools. Next up is the Senate, which expected to discuss the Farm Bill this month. Let’s hope their version is just as favorable.