An avocado farmer in Santa Barbara, Calif. is struggling to find laborers amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, according to CNN.
Rick Shade, the farmer, only has 25 of the 50 needed workers for the peak season, putting him in a bind at a critical time for his business.
Farm labor shortages, especially in California, the nation’s leading agricultural state, are widespread, according to news reports. In California, 55% of farmers said they didn’t have enough workers, a survey by the California Farm Bureau Federation in 2017 found.
Immigration policies, an aging population of current workers, and an apparent reluctance from Americans to take farm jobs are just some of the complications.
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A report by the Center for Global Development in 2013 examined the troubles encountered by the North Carolina Growers Association, which connects farmers in North Carolina with workers. Due to regulations, the NCGA must show that no native workers were willing to take the jobs before they’re able to use workers who have H-2A visas, the Washington Post said.
“In 2011, 245 people were hired out of 268 referred, but only 163 (66.5 percent) of the hired applicants actually showed up to the first day of work. Worse, only seven lasted to the end of the growing season,” the Post reported.
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