“We ask the Senate to move quickly to generate the much-needed labor reform to keep America fed and financially stable.” – Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Vice President Chris Hoffman
Watch Livestream: HERE
Peach Bottom, PA – Today, Pennsylvania farmers joined the American Business Immigration Coalition Action (ABIC Action), the International Fresh Produce Association, the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and other Pennsylvania farm advocates to call on the U.S. Senate to fix Pennsylvania’s and the nation’s farm labor shortage by passing new Senate agriculture workforce solutions.
“The agriculture sector is facing a devastating labor shortage,” said ABIC Action field organizer Enrique Sanchez. “This must be urgently addressed to keep grocery store shelves stocked and lower food prices for Pennsylvanians, and Americans everywhere. A study by Texas A&M International University shows that ag labor reform is an important part of a strategy to combat inflation and rising grocery prices.
“However,” continued Sanchez, “it is not just about cost. These are national security issues as well. Food security is national security. A nation that cannot feed itself is not a secure nation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts that next year the U.S. will be a net importer of agricultural goods, meaning that we will rely more heavily on growers outside the U.S. to put food on our tables. We don’t want to create trade imbalances and we don’t want to rely completely on other countries to grow our food.”
“I am really happy to host this, but unfortunately I’m also coming with a little bit of disappointment because we have been talking about this subject for 20 years on our farm,” said Lisa Graybeal, co-owner of Graywood Farms LLC, where the press conference was hosted. “I can honestly say standing here that our farm of 80 years probably would not be here right now if we did not have immigrant labor. Grassroots efforts like this help to get the message out. I really implore everybody to get in touch with their elected officials to get behind this bill to finally have solutions.”
Pennsylvania farm leaders also joined the call for legislation that addresses the farm labor shortage. “It has been over 30 years since Congress has passed significant reform for the agriculture workforce,” said Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Vice President Chris Hoffman. “Unlike other industries, farmers and ranchers have been challenged to get dedicated and experienced employees for many years. They find great difficulty in getting domestic young workers who are interested in learning and working in agriculture. The COVID pandemic stretched the agriculture workforce even thinner.”
Hoffman stressed the urgency of the Senate passing farm labor reform: “This should be a bipartisan effort due to the economic and national security threats if the issue is not resolved. A more dependable agricultural workforce will enable the industry to help reduce the current record-high inflation and ensure that American consumers get their products in a cost-effective and timely manner. American agriculture is crucial for this country to remain in good financial standing for trade.”
Hoffman concluded: “Key provisions that Farm Bureau will be looking for in the Senate is H-2A visa application access for year-round producers, ensuring a fair and competitive wage rate. We ask the Senate to move quickly to generate the much-needed labor reform to keep America fed and financially stable.”
Said Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association executive director Bill Troxell: “Our members are mostly small family farms, but many of our medium-sized growers have found it increasingly difficult to find enough reliable local help to plant and harvest their crops. To allow them to maintain and grow their operations, they have found the H-2A program helps them secure the legal, skilled labor they need. But it is expensive, especially for growers who may only be looking for two to four H-2A workers. In almost all cases, these small growers must hire an H-2A contractor to guide them through the application and recruitment process, which is a proportionally higher cost per worker than for growers who might be looking to hire dozens of workers. Reforming H-2A to make it easier and more affordable for growers would be a big plus for our growers who are looking to expand—or just maintain their vegetable or berry production here in Pennsylvania.”
Additional statements:
Adams County Nursery human resources manager Mikel Grimm: “As an agricultural producer, a consumer, and most importantly a mother of three, I cannot express enough how imperative it is to the security and well-being of all Americans that an agricultural reform bill be swiftly passed. The time is now, as many families are struggling to feed their families with the climbing food prices. We owe it to the people of this country to do the important work to address these concerns. A bipartisan effort that will improve our nation’s food security and benefit all Americans should be at the top of every elected official’s list of priorities. The Farmworker Modernization Act is a necessity for the future stability of this country.”
Rachel Roberts, president, American Mushroom Institute: “Two-thirds of America’s mushrooms are grown right here in Pennsylvania. We’re asking [the Senate] to trust your farmers. They are in a position of need. As mushroom farmers, we don’t qualify for [the current version of H-2A] because we’re year-round. Our farmers have been diligently working with 25 percent less of the labor force that they need for over 30 years. Nobody knows about American inflation better than farmers like mine who can’t get an H-2A visa. We urgently need the Senate to get out their own version of the House’s Farm Worker Modernization Act. We are hoping that Sen. Toomey can visit with Sen. Crapo and they can talk about what we need done. [Farm worker reform] is going to keep your costs lower, your food on the shelves, and at least some of our domestic crops right here in America, which is going to be important in the future. Listen to the farmers. You can trust them. This is not a dangerous thing—this is ag labor.”
Manor View Farm President Alan Jones: “Every time our elected officials kick farm labor down the road, more growers are being forced out of business and consumers are paying the price. Farmers and their employees urgently need a system that provides long-term stability. Post-pandemic food inflation and food security concerns have added urgency to pass the bill in the Senate. It is time we find a solution that works for all.”
Background
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 Pennsylvania agriculture sector and sustaining the state’s economy as a whole.
According to a new Cato Institute report, the House-passed Farm Workforce Modernization Act would “would reduce labor costs for H-2A farms by about $1 billion in the first year and $1.8 billion in the second, which would result in many more workers being hired, more productivity, and lower prices for consumers.” For Pennsylvania farmers, this would amount to $24.3 million in savings over two years (see report).
According to New American Economy, immigrants make up 7 percent of Pennsylvania’s population, pay nearly $10 billion in taxes annually and make up 22 percent of its crop production workforce. Pennsylvania farmers desperately need a stable, year-round workforce – dairy farms, for example, are currently excluded from the H-2A program and cows must be milked 365 days a year.
On the national level, Texas A&M International University 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.
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.
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau is an organization representing farm families engaged in all types of agriculture—from farms of every size and commodity to craft breweries, distilleries, wineries and cideries to farm-to-table restaurants and agritourism experiences. Farm Bureau members are leading together from the grassroots up.
The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) 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. We exist to bring the industry together to create a vibrant future for all. We grow our member’s prosperity by conducting advocacy; connecting people and ideas; and offering guidance that allows us all to take action with purpose and confidence.
The Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association is the voluntary trade association for commercial vegetable, potato and berry growers in Pennsylvania, with hundreds of members across the state.
The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives has, since 1929, 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 16 state and regional councils of cooperatives.
Adams County Nursery has, for five generations, made it our goal to provide our customers with the highest quality nursery stock. We strive to maintain a comprehensive product line by working with plant breeders from across the globe. These relationships coupled with our experienced staff allow us to bring you the best and newest varieties, and the knowledge to make them work for you.
Manor View Farm was sold in 2007 by the Patterson family, who’d owned it for 30 years, to Alan Jones, John Clark and Dennis Hendrix. The farm celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2016. Since the purchase, the farm has greatly expanded its supplier network, developed and diversified its customer base, expanded its field and propagation production and developed one of the best teams in the industry.
Graywood Farms located in Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania is owned and operated by the Graybeal family. Siblings Byron and Lisa Graybeal manage the day-to-day farm operations and are the third generation on the farm. They milk about 810 cows and farm 1,400-acres of owned and rented ground. In addition to Byron and Lisa, they have 11 full-time employees. Their father, Steve, Byron’s teenage son, Nathan, and two employees work part-time on the farm. Eleven of their employees are Hispanic.
American Mushroom Institute is a national voluntary trade association representing the growers, processors and marketers of cultivated mushrooms in the United States and industry suppliers worldwide. Membership is available to any person interested in the mushroom industry. Categories of membership are grower, associate, professional and retiree.