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“It is time to set aside politics and support common-sense immigration reform that better meets the needs of U.S. agriculture…failing to address this threatens our food security.” —Matt Teagarden, CEO, Kansas Livestock Association (KLA)
Kansas City, MO—Today, the American Business Immigration Coalition Action (ABIC Action), the Dairy Farmers of America, AmericanHort, the International Fresh Produce Association, the Kansas Livestock Association, the Livestock Marketing Association and the Kansas Chamber of Commerce held a press event and roundtable entitled “Lower Food Prices, Keep Shelves Stocked: Common Sense Solutions to Kansas and Missouri’s Farm Labor Shortage.”
With Senate negotiations ongoing, the event called attention to the urgency of fixing Kansas’, Missouri’s and the nation’s farm labor shortage by passing new Senate agriculture workforce solutions.
Farmers from Kansas and Missouri spoke at length on the way the farm workforce labor shortage is diminishing their productivity and output.
“I produce that glass of milk and that beef that sits on your table,” said Linn Willow Creek Dairy owner and Dairy Farmers of America member/owner Lee Holtmeier. “That’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly. We’re having a crunch in the midwest with labor because the H-2A program doesn’t fit what we do at the dairy. We need full time reliable employees to work alongside me 365 days a year helping to produce that milk on your table.”
He then pointed his remarks to Sen. Moran: “Jerry Moran came to my place 20 years ago, shook my hand, looked me in the eye and said, ‘What’s your biggest problem?’ I said, ‘Jerry, it’s [the need for] immigration [reform, to have more labor].’ So I’m going to ask Sen. Moran and Sen. Marshall to vote yes on a new Senate bill that will give me the ability I need to put milk on the table for the American consumer.”
Lyndsi Oestmann of Loma Vista Nursery and a Member of AmericanHort said: “As a mom of two, I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring up the role that this reform plays in lowering food costs and making sure that there’s food on the shelves at grocery stores. I’m in charge of my family’s budget so I’ve definitely seen the inflation in food. We’ve had to arrange our budget so that we can move resources over to keep healthy food on the table for our family. The reform needed will provide certainty to the farm owners producing food and will help combat inflation. I urge Senators Moran and Marshall to support agricultural workforce reform that will help lower food costs for all Americans and secure our food sources so American farmers can feed American families.”
Said Matt Teagarden, CEO, Kansas Livestock Association (KLA): “Failing to address this issue threatens our food security, with the potential to drive food production overseas. A lack of labor in the food processing sector during COVID led to a bottleneck in processing, causing higher prices for consumers and lowering revenues for livestock producers.
“An effective guestworker program creates legitimate channels, providing insurance to employers in alleviating one of the main reasons people cross the border illegally. H-2A reform is a serious down payment on border security.”
He added: “KLA appreciates the efforts of Senators Crapo and Bennett in developing legislation that address the workforce needs of agriculture. Kansas Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall have been great supporters of Kansas agriculture. We encourage their supportive efforts to pass meaningful immigration reform that serves the needs of Kansas livestock producers.”
Additional comments
ABIC Intermountain State Director Enrique Sanchez: “The agricultural sector is facing a devastating labor shortage that must be urgently addressed to keep shelves stocked and lower food prices for Kansas, Missourians and Americans…However, this is not just about cost….A nation that cannot feet itself is not secure.”
Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) Director of Government and Industry Affairs Pierce Bennett: “LMA is the epitome of competition in our industry, and to be able to do that well, we need consistent labor. [Our membership tells us] that they are struggling to find labor that is both specialized in the ability to work with livestock in a fast-paced environment, as well as having consistent labor that can be there every week…We look forward to future discussions with Senators Moran, Blunt and Marshall, and we thank them for [having staffers] here today.”
Kansas Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Government Affairs Eric Stafford: “In order to protect our food security and national security, and to meet our workforce needs, we have to have a responsive immigration system. We encourage Senators Moran and Marshall to support agricultural workforce reform.”
Loffredo Fresh Produce Co. President & CEO and International Fresh Produce Association member Brian Loffredo: “We’re a fifth-generation family-owned business that’s been around 130 years, distributing fruits, vegetables and all kinds of fresh foods through the upper midwest, including to K-12 schools…not only are fields going unharvested, but prices are increasing on store shelves, which will lead to stores not being stocked and children not being fed…It is time to act now. There’s no doubt we have the most momentum on this that we’ve ever had. We can’t kick this down the road any further. I’d like to thank Senators Crapo and Bennett for their effort on this bill.”
American Business Immigration Coalition Action Director of Outreach James O’Neill: “When it comes to guestworker labor, the status quo is broken. Unless we fix these issues this year, we’ll continue to see crops rotting in fields, farmers selling their land, livestock getting sick because they don’t have proper care, and farmers downsizing their operations instead of growing in the way that they want to.”
Background:
As once stated by National Council of Farmer Cooperatives President and CEO Chuck Conner, “The events of the past few years, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the war in Ukraine, have reinforced what we in agriculture know —food security is national security. Yet, this ability to feed ourselves is currently under threat from the ag labor crisis. Next year, Congress will be writing the 2023 farm bill and will have a chance to make this link explicit. If the past is any guide, the bill will include dozens of programs critical to ensuring food security, from crop insurance to conservation, from research to nutrition. But, without action, hanging over the process will be one issue—ag labor—that threatens to undermine every program in that legislation. Quite simply, America’s farmers, ranchers, growers and co-ops cannot survive, let alone thrive, without a workforce.”
According to The American Immigration Council, one in 14 Kansans is an immigrant, but foreign-born residents make up a larger share of the state’s labor force. Meanwhile, the 2022 Kansas Ag Workforce Needs Assessment Survey shows that the industry continues to suffer from a labor shortage, with more than 50 percent of ag-related jobs being unfilled.
On the national level, Texas A&M International University recently released data from a new economic study on the link between stabilizing the agricultural workforce and decreasing inflation and consumer prices, showing that ensuring farmers have a stable, secure, reliable, and legal workforce is crucial to keeping America’s grocery shelves stocked, combating inflation, and lowering food prices (including milk, eggs, meat, and produce) for all domestic consumers.
Addressing workforce shortages facing farm employers and stabilizing the H-2A visa application process is also crucial for enhancing our national food security by protecting domestic agriculture production. According to the USDA, next year, for the first time in U.S. history, we as a country will be importing more agricultural goods than we export.
Congressional Action:
In 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act with bipartisan support. That was a good start, and now in the Senate, Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Mike Bennet (D-CO) have taken the lead on negotiating improvements on the House’s solutions and moving the process forward. Passing new Senate legislation is critical to solving labor shortages facing the Kansas agriculture sector and sustaining the state’s economy as a whole.
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, grocery bills are rising at the fastest pace in more than 40 years, and this year’s July 4th cookouts cost 17% more than last year and 27% more than before the pandemic. Prices for ground beef are up 36% from last summer, chicken breasts up 33%, pork and beans up 33%, pork chops up 31%, lemonade up 22%, and potato salad up 19% – some families were likely forced to skip a cookout altogether.
ABOUT
ABIC Action is the political arm of the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), a bipartisan coalition of over 1,200+ CEOs, business owners, and trade associations across 17 mostly red and purple states. ABIC Action promotes common sense immigration reform that advances economic competitiveness, provides companies with both the high-skilled and low-skilled talent they need, and allows the integration of immigrants into our economy as consumers, workers, entrepreneurs, and citizens.
Dairy Farmers of America is a global food Cooperative focused on quality, innovation and the future. DFA brings opportunities for rural communities to thrive, shares nourishment with those in need, preserves natural resources and fuels many of life’s greatest memories.
AmericanHort truly represents the entire horticulture industry, including breeders, greenhouse and nursery growers, retailers, distributors, interior and exterior landscapers, florists, students, educators, researchers, manufacturers, and all of those who are part of the industry market chain. It is the leading national association for the green industry, working tirelessly to connect the industry across states and segments.
The International Fresh Produce Association is the largest and most diverse international association serving the entire fresh produce and floral supply chain, and the only to seamlessly integrate world-facing advocacy and industry-facing support.
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives: Since 1929, the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) has been the voice of America’s farmer cooperatives. Our members are regional and national farmer cooperatives, which in turn consist of nearly 2,000 local farmer cooperatives across the country. The majority of America’s 2 million farmers and ranchers belong to one or more farmer cooperatives. NCFC members also include 17 state and regional councils of cooperatives.