Finding enough labor is a key concern for U.S. agriculture, especially in the fruit and vegetable sector.
Oregon farmer Mike McCarthy said produce growers have no option to automate labor functions like many other types of farmers or ranchers. “Many people who grow fruit and vegetables in the United States have not been able to mechanize to the extent of some types of agriculture,” says McCarthy. “Sixty percent of our budget goes to labor in our operation. We handpick, and we do a number of other operations that all require hand labor.”
He said the solution for his farm as well as many others has been the H-2A visa program. However, there are several barriers to accessing the program. “It’s very complicated, and we need to do a lot of things to make it so it’s farmer-friendly,” McCarthy says. “A lot of farms are family farms. We don’t have an HR department with seven employees. We really need assistance. We have to hire an ag labor procurement agency, which helps us get through the process, but it’s very expensive.”
McCarthy said farmers and ranchers need to work together and speak up for each other to find solutions for the labor challenge in agriculture, as well as a variety of other issues. “I encourage all farmers to spend a certain amount of time getting involved with their farm organizations, whatever they are,” he says. “Continue to give our message that we’ve got to have a competitive, profitable agricultural industry to feed America.”
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