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“I’m here because Sen Crapo, my Senator in Idaho, promised to file this bill after the elections. I lost 250,000 lbs of asparagus. I can’t go another year without a bill. The deadline is now and we need to act.” – Shay Myers, CEO, Owyhee Produce, Idaho
“Senators Crapo and Bennett, the time is now…file that damn bill!” – Steve Obert, Indiana Dairy Producers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), and Jim Costa (D-CA), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) joined more than 100 farmers and agricultural producers from across the nation to demand that the U.S. Senate fix the ongoing agricultural workforce crisis in this lame duck session by the end of December.
Speakers stressed that food prices were up 13% this fall from a year ago and that, absent reform, farmers will see their costs rise by at least $500 million per year. Today’s D.C. press conference followed dozens of events with the same message held this year across the country. From Kansas to South Dakota, Wisconsin to Arizona, farmers and producers have raised the urgency of fixing the agricultural workforce crisis to protect national food security and lower food prices.
“Food security is national security – if we don’t pass legislation this year to get farmers the workers they need, food prices will go up, and our ability to feed ourselves as a nation will go down,” said ABIC Action Executive Director Rebecca Shi. “The House passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act with bipartisan support – Senators cannot miss this opportunity to ensure farmers can put food on American tables for years to come.”
This week, the first in the lame duck session following the 2022 midterm elections, the American Business Immigration Coalition Action, the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, International Fresh Produce Association, AmericanHort, the National Council of Agricultural Employers, U.S Apple Association, the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives,, U.S. Custom Harvesters, Inc, the International Dairy Foods Association, and other agricultural and business leaders will meet with more than 100 U.S senators and representatives, to bring a clear message: It’s time to pass Senate ag workforce solutions. Food security is national security—Congress must fix the ag labor crisis this year.
Here are highlights from key speakers at today’s event:
U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA): “We have to bring the urgency of this important issue to the U.S. Senate. Without an adequate farm labor supply, a resource that we absolutely need, crops go unharvested. Food security, the supply chain, is compromised. And it adds costs to the American consumer. The Senate needs to pass their version of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (FWMA) immediately so that we can make sure that we have a legal and reliable workforce for the agriculture industry. It’s fair for the farmers, for the communities we all live in—and just as importantly, for the farmworkers themselves.”
He continued: “All we need now is for the Senate to move this forward. You’ve been hearing from us for over two years on this bill. The people who can best bring this message to the Senate are those living it every single day—and they’re here today, farmers and ranchers from across the country. They can bring that sense of urgency on why this is so important that we can accomplish it now.”
U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA): “I have chaired the Immigration Subcommittee here in the House for many years…a little over four years ago, we pulled together the United Farm Workers Union and growers to see whether we could identify a path forward on the farm workforce. That process took just shy of a year—and at the end of it, we had consensus among the union and a broad swath of employers. The FWMA bill passed twice by the House isn’t 100 percent of what we wanted, but it will make America work better.”
She continued: “This Congress will close at the end of December. And all of us have a sense of urgency that the time to act is now. Food prices increased 13 percent this fall compared to last fall. And all the analysis indicates that if we don’t do something to improve the situation on labor, we’re gonna see further increases. There’s nothing wrong with the House bill. If a disparate group of members of Congress can agree, if the Farm Workers union and these employers can agree, then surely the U.S. Senate can move forward, too.”
Chuck Conner, President and CEO, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives and chair of the Agriculture Workforce Coalition: “The farmers and ranchers you will hear have taken time away from their own operations and come to D.C. because they want the Senate to know that it is now or never. If this effort fails over the next couple of months, it’ll likely be many years before this labor crisis is addressed. That’s why all of us in agriculture are speaking in one voice today to the Senate when we say: “Pass agriculture labor reform.”
He concluded: “You cannot, in this Congress, claim to be for the farmer unless you are willing to stick your neck out and work to solve the issues for them. We know what needs to be done—we just need the political will to get it done on behalf of the men and women who work tirelessly to put food on our table. All these reasons are why this effort by Senators Crapo and Bennett are so vital. It will address the growing crisis, enhance this country’s food security, provide the foundation for success for the next farm bill, combat inflation and finally give a measure of certainty to the hard working men and women who provide food for this country.”
Steve Obert, Executive Director, Indiana Dairy Producers: “I hear the same story from the dairy farmers that I represent: A shortage of experienced, well-trained employees puts both animal care and employee safety at risk. They don’t need mere awareness or sympathy. They need action. Time is running out. We can no longer wait. If the Senate doesn’t fix this, dairy farms in Indiana, Wisconsin, Idaho and across the country will have to close.”
He continued: “Senators Crapo and Bennett, the time is now. I’m a Republican and I have Republican Senators, so my message to Sen Crapo is: You have won your election and you won big. Dairy supported you. Now we need you to support us. Now file that damn bill.”
Bob Naerebout, Government Affairs Director, Idaho Dairymen’s Association: “Idaho is the third-largest dairy state in the U.S. We have roughly 45,000 employees on our dairies. Ninety percent of our employees are foreign-born, but [under current farm guest worker policy], we do not qualify for any visa program.”
He continued: “Idaho is one of the reddest states, and we’ve had two Republicans step up and touched the third rail of politics called immigration, and their performance in elections was still off the charts. So Republicans can be engaged in this and survive. It needs to be done—and done now.”
Shay Myers, CEO, Owyhee Produce: “This past year, because of this labor shortage, we had to throw away over 130,000 pounds of asparagus, the entire year’s profit, because we couldn’t get the workers we needed to harvest it.”
I’m here because Sen Crapo, my Senator in Idaho, promised to file this bill after the elections…he has his place secured—where’s the bill? I’m tired of excuses—we’ve had them for 36 years. My employees are also tired. We’re running out of time. Without survival, giving us a fighting chance in U.S. agriculture to feed you, to do what we’re passionate about, food production will continue to be offshored. We can’t go another year. The deadline is now and we need to act.”
Jamie Johansson, President, California Farm Bureau: “We represent over 30,000 farmers, ranchers and family farms in California. I also am a farmer. The size of California agriculture is well-known—over half of all fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts come from California. Also, one third of all the agriculture workers in America work in California. Other than water, no issue is more important to California farmers than labor. We’re proud that the FWMA has passed in the House, but we’ve spent decades on an issue that needs to be resolved now–not only for the American farmer, but for consumers facing inflation. Now more than ever, efficiency is necessary to solve the problems on the grocery shelves and on our farms. We call on the Senate to act immediately in these last days of this Congres to get something done for American consumers, American farmers and the American labor force in agriculture.”
Jim Bair, President and CEO, U.S. Apple Association: “From Washington to Maine, from Virginia to Michigan, farmers tell me they’ve had to leave apples on the tree to rot because they couldn’t get workers to harvest them. That’s offensive to me. It’s been said that a country that can feed itself might have many problems, but a country that can’t feed itself has only one. We hope the Senate is willing to pick up the baton on this and carry it across the finish line.”
David Barber, Former President and CEO Barber Foods; Business Development Specialist, Tyson Foods: With all the sacrifices farmers and their farm workers have made for years, especially during COVID, it’s time to make sure they get the stability they need and deserve. I’m a lifelong Mainer – I’ve been urging my Senators Collins and King this whole year to do their part to make sure this gets done. BUT THEY NEED A DAMN BILL. I’m also a lifelong Republican – so I’m here with a message to Senator Crapo – file your bill. I’m urging my Democrat friends to deliver the same message to Senator Bennet.
David Carlin, Senior Vice President of Legislative Affairs and Economic Policy, International Dairy Foods Association: “Over the past few years, our industry has struggled to find the workers we need. Our industry needs this bill to be passed today. We’re calling on the Senate today to pass the FWMA, which would expand H-2A to make it available to dairy farmers and other nonseasonal producers. Passing FWMA will protect our national and economic security.”
Stefanie Katzman, Executive Vice President at S. Katzman Produce And International Fresh Produce Association Board Member: “My business as a wholesaler is located in the middle of the supply chain. I speak to hundreds of farmers every day. That’s how I know that the farm labor crisis is not just a farming crisis. It’s affecting the entire supply chain right down to the American consumer. In order to make fresh fruits and vegetables affordable and accessible, we need the labor force to [be modernized]. So we’re asking all Senators, because this has to happen now. We’ve been working on this for months and months, and now we’re down to just days. So we’re asking for your support and action, because action speaks louder than words and that’s what we need to get this done.”
Craig Regelbrugge, Executive Vice President, Advocacy, Research & Industry Relations, AmericanHort: “I represent an industry of small and family farms, many multigenerational, many in the group here today. And many of these farms tell us over and over that their biggest challenge is the workforce crisis. Twenty-four years ago, the Senate passed a bipartisan bill to proactively resolve this problem. The days of proactivity are gone—and due to that failure, the U.S. is projected to be a net importer of agricultural products. The opportunity and the need are urgent and now. The Senate has done this before—and can and must do this again this year.”
Ryan Haffner, USCHI board member and owner of High Plains Harvesting: “Custom Harvesting is a vital part of the farm to plate journey. A stable agriculture workforce pipeline doesn’t exist, especially in our seasonal business. As fuel and machinery costs soar, finding capable employees to run the trucks and combines is equally as concerning. The additional time and financial investment required by workforce development creates obstacles for harvesters to meet the demand of farmers. The H2A program has helped, but it is difficult for many of my custom harvester associates to access. This is an obvious opportunity for the Senate to reach across the aisle in a bipartisan manner to find solutions through labor reform.”
Fred Leitz, CEO, Leitz Farms LLC and Member of National Council of Agricultural Employers: “We are not crying wolf, we cannot wait any longer, it’s up to you. Senators, you, and this country, will miss us when we’re gone. Its past time to fix this problem, and we can’t afford not to.”
Other speakers at the event included:
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U.S. Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA)
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U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA)
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U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlihan (D-PA)
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 agriculture sector and sustaining our economy as a whole.
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.