Farm group addresses labor woes locally

By Joshua Palmer, Times-News
Friday, May 2, 2008 2:16 PM CDT

TWIN FALLS, Idaho - Agricultural association in south-central Idaho are working toward a solution to a growing labor shortage as immigration officials crack down on illegal workers.

It’s a scene that is being played out in other parts of the United States as farmers prepare to irrigate, treat and eventually harvest their crops.

Officials with the Snake River Farmers Association, which represents farmers throughout south-central Idaho, say interest in the federal H2-A visa program has increased recently among local farmers.

The H2-A visa program allows migrant laborers to legally enter the United States for a specified period of time.

“In the 23 years that I have been doing this, I don’t think I’ve seen this much interest,” said Michaelene Rowe, executive director of the association.

She said farmers have hired illegal laborers in the past, out of desperation for farm workers to help work the crops. However, increasingly rigid immigration reforms have depleted the labor supply -either legal or not.

The Idaho Dairymen’s Association, which represents about 645 dairies in Idaho, is working to form a coalition that will educate lawmakers about the need for laborers.

Several coalitions have been formed by agricultural industries in other states.

“We want to develop a coalition that will work with others in other states,” said Bob Naerebout, executive director of the dairymen’s association.

The strength in numbers could prove useful to the agriculture industry in Idaho as similar groups struggle to convince lawmakers of the need for more farm laborers.

Weary of waiting for Congress to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws, the United Farm Workers hopes to recruit Mexican laborers to pick crops on U.S. farms.

This month, UFW President Arturo Rodriguez signed an agreement with the governor of the Mexican state of Michoacan to help recruit local residents to apply for temporary jobs on U.S. farms, all of which would be covered under union contracts.

Under the new pact, government field staff in Michoacan will distribute information on U.S. labor protections, especially in rural towns known for sending a large number of their residents north.

In exchange, the union will negotiate contracts with U.S. growers willing to guarantee that legal workers’ rights will be respected on both sides of the border, UFW International Director Erik Nicholson said.

Immigration raids and employer penalties have led to a shortage of workers in the nation’s largest farm states, leading many in the agriculture industry to conclude that growers can’t get their products to market without a stable supply of workers from abroad.

But with Congress deadlocked over immigration reform, the question is under what conditions the workers will be hired -legally or illegally.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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