Our Work in Ohio
What the farmers are saying
“If we do not have the labor to manufacture the items that we produce, there will be kids that end up without a nutritious meal, [which would be] catastrophic from a nutrition standpoint.”
Alex DiNovoIFPA member and President & COO of DNO Produce
“When we employ workers at our farms, our first hope is that there will be domestic workers right there in our communities who will come and help us out… but very few apply. Those 150,000 cows in Ohio alone, they need to be milked every day, twice a day, 365, no Christmas, no Thanksgiving off.”
Scott HigginsOhio Dairy Producers Association CEO
“The current H-2A doesn’t work for us because we milk all day every year. That’s why we need quality employees who can come to the U.S. securely and legally. U.S. Senators, I ask you to work to push this bill through.”
Kathy DavisOwner and Operator, Ayers Valley Farm, Russellville, OH
“I’m a nursery that could be open, much like a dairy farm, 365 days a year. But we can only get people for ten months… I’m angry about it, because it’s fixable if people just had the political courage to stand up and say ‘this is stupid.’”
Brian DeckerAmericanHort member and Decker Nursery, Inc. President
“We’re asking elected officials to take immediate action to give U.S. food producers the tools we need to continue providing Americans with a safe and economical food supply.”
Bob Jonesowner of Farmer Jones Farm, site of the Culinary Vegetable Institute and a member of AmericanHort
“In my family’s 126 years of farming, labor has always been our biggest issue. This country’s health, wealth and security all hinge on access to affordable and nutritious food, which is dependent on farm labor. That’s why this is something all Senators should be able to get behind.”
Joel BuurmaBuurma Farms, Willard, OH, a member of the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA)
