Jun 13, 2012

Valley faces smaller crop of workers

San Joaquin Valley farmers, already slammed this year by hail and high fuel costs, could be hit with another blow: a shortage of workers.

Tighter border enforcement, increased smuggling costs for immigrants and drug-related violence are contributing to fewer people coming to the United States from Mexico — a longtime source of undocumented workers for Valley farmers.

And while critics of illegal immigration may be pleased with the current decline, farmers are worried. Merced Sun-Star

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