Apr 7, 2007

No Immigrants, No Food

Communicating the importance of a healthy farm sector is a continual challenge. The U.S.-produced food supply is facing dozens of serious and difficult issues including rising energy costs, labor, urban encroachment, unfair trade practices, taxes and a general lack of understanding of what it takes to produce a food supply for 300 million Americans.

One of the most polarizing issues in this country today is what to do about illegal immigration. To the “round ’em up, kick ’em out and build a wall” thinkers out there, we pose the following question: Do you like to eat? We all can agree that food is a necessity, but is a domestic food supply a necessity? As it stands today, American consumers can access a safe, inexpensive, nutritious and abundant source of food, which is a luxury consumers in many nations cannot claim. We believe a domestic food supply is of critical importance to our national security. In fact, if transportation energy costs continue to increase, which seems likely, a local food supply will become even more important to American consumers. But whether that affordable, nutritious and abundant food supply will continue to be available seems less likely all the time.

Today in Idaho there are dozens of farmers and ranchers who are weighing their options, and one of the issues that could force the sale of more farmland is labor, or, to be correct, the lack thereof. Information recently released by the USDA shows nearly a 4 percent decrease in the number of hired workers on farms. The U.S. farm sector is facing a labor shortage that could be magnified by the loss of migrant workers.

In addition, the USDA report shows wages paid to farm workers increased sharply as the total number of workers dropped. The fact that wages increased sharply over the same period indicates the drop in worker numbers was due to a tight labor supply rather than a decrease in demand for farm labor. Farmers and ranchers are paying more to retain a shrinking work force. The average wage for farm workers is now up to nearly $10 per hour, up 5 percent from last year and up 18 percent compared to 2001.

Farmers and ranchers certainly don’t condone the hiring of illegal immigrants. The problems created by an estimated 8 million illegal aliens in this country weigh heavily on our entire society. That’s part of what makes this issue so difficult to resolve. While our government searches for a better way to police this problem, fruit and vegetables are rotting in the fields. Over time, this problem will diminish the value of farmland and increase the cost consumers will pay for food.

Farm Bureau estimates that one-third of U.S. fruit and vegetable production, amounting to between $5 billion and $9 billion, is at risk of being lost without a workable temporary worker program. In addition, net farm income for the rest of the agricultural sector is expected to decline by as much as $5 billion annually.

We already know what it’s like to depend on foreign countries to supply our crude oil. If we don’t soon find an equitable solution to illegal immigration, we are likely to find out what it’s like to depend on foreign countries to supply our food.

Frank Priestley is president of the Idaho Farm Bureau.