“Immigrants are critical to the nation’s food supply chain. They’ve been essential to getting food to our grocery stores and our tables before, during and after COVID.” — David Barber, former president and CEO, Barber Foods; board president, Maine Business Immigration Coalition; board member, American Business Immigration Coalition
DAYTON, ME – Today, Maine farming and business leaders joined the American Business Immigration Coalition Action (ABIC Action), the Maine Business Immigration Coalition (MeBIC), AmericanHort, the International Fresh Produce Association, Hospitality Maine and Jordan’s Farm to call attention to the urgency of fixing Maine’s and the nation’s farm labor shortage by passing new Senate agriculture workforce solutions.
“Labor shortages are hitting Maine and the nation hard, including in the agricultural sector,” said David Barber, former president and CEO of Barber Foods, board member of the American Business Immigration Coalition and board president of the Maine Business Immigration Coalition. “It’s important that Congress do the right thing and let the folks who have worked so hard to produce food for the nation have the chance to apply to stay in the U.S. permanently, and to be joined by their spouses and children here. Giving them stability will help keep the agriculture sector stable, and strengthen our labor force over all.”
He continued: “At Barber Foods, we’ve had immigrants from several countries working for us who have been the backbone of our workforce, even during COVID. Immigrants are critical to the nation’s food supply chain. They‘re essential to getting food to our grocery stores and to our tables before, during and after COVID.”
Jake Pierson, co-owner of Pierson Nurseries and a member of AmericanHort, also spoke: “Pierson Nurseries and the horticulture industry as a whole was inundated during the Covid pandemic with new customers and a demand for our plants like never before,” he said. “With all the sacrifices farm workers have made for years, and especially during COVID, it’s time to make sure they have a path to full legal status. We hope that Senators Collins and King will join Senators Bennet and Crapo and work hard to get this legislation over the finish line.”
Also on hand were Maine farmers. “As long as Maine wants to keep its communities and economy running, we need to ensure that the people calling Maine home—who are doing the work keeping our businesses open, our lands productive, food on the shelves, and communities whole—are safe, secure, and free to be a part of Maine,” said Jenni Tilton-Flood of Flood Brothers Farm in Clinton, Maine. “The Farm Workforce Modernization Act (FWMA), which has passed in the House, is a good place to start and as a Mainer, rural advocate, and dairy farmer, I applaud Senators Crapo and Bennet for working to draft the Senate version. Now, we need Maine’s Senators to be committed to supporting the grit and goodness of Maine and Maine workers by supporting this.”
Another farmer who spoke was Penny Jordan, owner of Jordan’s Farm in Cape Elizabeth. “We can no longer be in denial that undocumented workers are the backbone of the workforce in agriculture in the United States,” she said. “This legislation seeks to create a fair and equitable system for them. It helps to address the workforce needs of farmers across the country and it creates a path to citizenship for people that commit to work in our fields, packing houses and barns. H2A should be part of this bill, because the current system is not responsive to the needs of the growers. When workers who are U.S. citizens, who must be hired first, leave mid-season and one looks to H2A as an avenue to address staffing, it’s not responsive. It’s buried in bureaucracy. That’s why I support this bill.”
Apple grower Harry Ricker of Turner, Maine, owner of Ricker Hill Orchards, Ricker Hill Farms Inc. and Apple Ridge Farms Inc., was also in attendance.
Representatives from Maine’s immigrant community spoke as well. “My family arrived in Maine following seasonal work, but stayed on because we were able to get year-long jobs here supporting Maine’s seafood processing industry and the blueberry sector,” said Juana Rodriguez-Vazquez, executive director of Mano en Mano, an advocacy group for Maine’s migrant workers. “Eventually, my family began their own business selling food—first out of a food truck, then from a restaurant in the heart of Milbridge,” “We need to create paths to permanent legal status and fully welcome immigrants who are already here, contributing each and every day to our communities.”
Her words were echoed by Suzanne LaFreniere, public policy director for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Maine. “The church has long recognized the dignity of work of both citizen and immigrant farmworkers and growers alike and welcomes changes in the law to help ensure greater protections,” she said. “For that reason, we call on the Senate to take up and pass these measures swiftly, and we once again call on legislators from both chambers of Congress to work together to enact broader, vitally needed reforms to address our broken immigration system. We pledge to work with Congress and the Administration on this effort, which we believe is an urgent issue to uphold life and human dignity.”
Representing the state’s business community was Dana Connors, president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. “Maine’s workforce shortage has long been one of the top challenges impacting nearly every sector of Maine’s economy,” he said. “Immigrants are a critical part of the solution, as is the bipartisan Farm Workforce Modernization Act. We encourage the U.S. Senate to continue advancing the Farm Workforce Modernization Act as an important part of solving Maine’s workforce challenges and strengthening Maine’s economy.”
Matt Lewis, president and CEO of HospitalityMaine, was also a speaker. “Our members are primarily hotels and restaurants,” he said, “so it is critical that we look at new opportunities for sources of employees. As it is now, we simply do not have enough staff for all open positions. Every day, we hear from businesses who typically had 25 full-time staff and are now down to 18. We would get a call saying that a beloved restaurant was closing its doors due to lack of staffing.” Immigration workforce reform, he said, “could have huge benefits to alleviate hospitality staffing issues in Maine.”
Background
The USDA predicts next year that for the first time in US history, we will be a net importer of agricultural goods. If we do not solve this labor shortage, this is a trend that will continue.
Recently, 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.
By addressing workforce shortages facing farm employers and stabilizing the H-2A visa application process, Congress can address inflation, lower food prices, ensure grocery store shelves remain stocked and enhance our national food security by protecting domestic agriculture production. Reform to our immigration and guest worker program is long overdue. Farmers and their employees need a system that provides long-term stability. It is time we find a solution that works for all.
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 Maine and the nation’s agriculture sector and sustaining state economies and the national 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 more than 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.
MeBIC is Maine’s only resource dedicated to providing information, education and advocacy on immigration and related issues from and for the business and economic perspective. MeBIC recognizes the value of immigration and promotes initiatives, laws, and policies to attract, integrate and retain immigrants in Maine’s economy and communities as consumers, workers, entrepreneurs and citizens. MeBIC engages in education, advocacy and action to support initiatives, laws and policies promoting economic growth and strong communities throughout Maine that are consistent with our principles.
Maine State Chamber of Commerce, founded in 1889, is Maine’s largest business association, serving as the voice of Maine business on behalf of thousands of employers of all sizes and sectors across the state. The Maine State Chamber focuses on three pillars—advocacy, access and awareness—to advance a positive business climate and secure a strong state economy in which Maine businesses can compete and succeed.
AmericanHort 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. The leading national association for the green industry, AmericanHort connects the industry across states and segments, giving members opportunities that expand their network and resources to perform better, grow and prepare for the future.
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.
Hospitality Maine is the only non-profit trade group representing the hospitality industry in the state. The group’s current number-one focus is securing a capable, reliable workforce for our members. The solution is to develop, renew and expand our own hospitality workforce statewide. We are transforming tired old assumptions about the sector by creating a viable, long-term career path for new generations to come. By educating and engaging the public, schools and policymakers, we are opening up opportunities available to young people, retired people and disadvantaged populations. One example is the newly launched HospitalityMaine Apprenticeship Program, which will allow us to “home grow” our hospitality workforce for the future.
Jordan’s Farm, founded in 1948 by William H. “Billy” Jordan, Sr., grows a large variety of products to supply our onsite farm stand and online market. Our key products are corn, strawberries, tomatoes, lettuces, beans, pumpkins and an array of brassicas. We believe that by supporting other farm and small businesses, we can create a vibrant and sustainable economy. We are conventional growers using crop rotation, cover crops, compost and other methods to maintain and build our soils.