On the Farm, Hanging a 'Help Wanted' Sign
Workers strip tobacco in order to fight off bacterial wilt and keep it from spreading to the rest of the crop.
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This article is reprinted with permission from The News & Observer of Raleigh.
By Lauren Carroll
The News & Observer
North Carolina is a top producer of tobacco, sweet potatoes and other fruits and vegetables — but in the near future, farmers might not have enough workers to pick them.
Across the nation, the number of seasonal agricultural workers is shrinking, costing billions. That’s largely the result of a diminishing number of migrant workers coming from Mexico.
So far, North Carolina’s farmers say they aren’t experiencing a significant shortage. But harvest season has yet to peak in the state, so it’s difficult to tell whether the state will experience a lack of labor, said Larry Wooten, president of the N.C. Farm Bureau.
North Carolina has a strong guest worker visa program, and its immigration laws are not as strict as some nearby states.
The labor shortage is affecting each state differently, said Kristi Boswell, labor and immigration congressional relations director for the American Farm Bureau Federation in Washington.
“If they don’t feel it yet, the likelihood of them feeling it soon is probably high,” Boswell said.
A significant labor shortage could have a considerable impact on the North Carolina economy, which draws more than $70 billion — about 20 percent of the state’s income —from agriculture. And because the state is a leading producer of numerous crops, a shortage would affect local and national produce costs. The Farm Bureau Federation recently projected that national agricultural labor shortages will cost $5 billion to $9 billion in annual losses.
“If we don’t have an adequate supply of labor, the crops are going to rot in the fields,” said N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “And eventually it’s going to affect prices.”
North Carolina relies on about 90,000 migrant farm workers, said Lee Wicker, deputy director of the N.C. Growers Association. Wicker, who farms tobacco in Lee County, estimates that about 60,000 of those workers are in the country illegally.
Thousands of North Carolina residents are jobless, with a statewide unemployment rate of more than 9 percent, according to the state Department of Commerce. But some farmers say most Americans are unwilling to take farm jobs that require hard labor under a blazing sun for little pay.
Tony Ross, who grows several crops in Moore County, said Americans might take jobs operating tractors or other heavy machinery, but they often avoid jobs that involve manual labor.
“They shun this for the most part,” he said.
The growers association, which helps farmers hire migrant guest workers, is required to first market its jobs to Americans. The agency posted 7,500 jobs this year, and about 350 Americans applied. But an overwhelming number of them quit after several days in the fields, Wicker said.
“Our growers want to hire U.S. workers, but they’re scared that when we get to the hard work, everyone quits,” he said.
The Farm Bureau Federation estimates that illegal immigrants account for between 50 percent and 70 percent of all farm workers in the United States, on top of migrants who are working in the United States legally.
The number of people immigrating to the United States from Mexico is now almost equal to those immigrating to Mexico from the United States, according to a Pew Hispanic Center study. The slowdown is possibly a result of a crackdown on illegal immigration in the United States, increased violence along the border and a growing job market in Mexico.
An upturn in the United States’ economy could further draw migrant laborers away from farm work and toward other job sectors with better working conditions and higher wages, such as construction, said Blake Brown, a professor and extension economist at North Carolina State University.
“[Farm] labor is going to be scarce relative to the demand if we see a rebound in construction in the future,” Brown said.
‘Adequate Supply’
Although most North Carolina farmers are able to find an “adequate supply” of labor, farmer Billy Carter said he does not think they are able to secure as many workers as they would like. Carter grows more than 1,000 acres of tobacco, watermelons, tomatoes and other crops in Eagle Springs.
Green card and illegal migrant workers typically travel up the East Coast along Interstate 95, stopping in several states for seasonal work throughout the year. This “migrant stream” has all but evaporated in the past few years, Wicker said.
Also, some North Carolina farmers wrongly anticipated that they would see an influx of migrant workers avoiding Alabama and Georgia because of tough anti-illegal immigration laws in those states that require immigrants to carry identification documents at all times, as well as requiring employers to electronically verify the legal status of their employees.
Last year, Hurricane Irene destroyed a significant portion of the tobacco plants in the eastern part of North Carolina, so farmers expected to have a surplus of labor to harvest other crops. But even large sweet potato farms along Interstate 95, a prime opportunity for migrant workers because of the location, had trouble finding enough people to harvest the product, Carter said.
He noted that workers who lost their jobs in manufacturing or construction at the beginning of the recession in 2008 flocked to his farm looking for work.
“But in the past couple of years, that has gone away because either they’ve secured a job or they’ve gone home,” he said.
Reliable Labor
The H-2a visa program, which brings migrant workers to the United States on seasonal work visas, is expensive — about $1,000 per worker on top of a guaranteed $9.70 per hour wage, housing and transportation. It also requires a hefty amount of paperwork. But farmers say it is worth it to have a reliable labor force. Many of North Carolina’s signature crops that require hard manual labor — such as tobacco and sweet potatoes — are time sensitive.
“There’s one thing that’s more expensive than the H-2a program, and that’s having a beautiful crop ready to harvest and no one to pick it,” Wicker said.
The visa program is more successful in North Carolina than other states because of the growers association, which manages the paperwork, transportation and training for about 7,000 of the state’s H-2a workers, easing the farmers’ burden. Wicker said the number of members has been continuously increasing, especially in the last couple of years.
Cruz Dias of San Luis Portosi, Mexico, exemplifies the H-2a program. He has worked six months a year at Ross’ tobacco farm for 23 years. With the money he has earned, he was able to send his three children to college in Mexico.
“I work in Mexico a little bit, not too much,” Dias said. “The work here is all I need. ... It’s pretty good for money, for school, for food.”
‘Survivors’
With the looming labor shortage, the agriculture industry is looking for ways to weather the storm.
Many farmers are switching to mechanized harvesting for crops that do not necessarily require manual labor, such as tobacco, Brown said. Additionally, North Carolina is third in the nation for crop diversity. A wide array of crop possibilities allows farmers to pick and choose what they grow, based on consumer demand as well as labor constraints.
“Farmers are survivors,” Wicker said, noting that farmers might abandon a crop if there is not enough manual labor available to sustain it.
The key to ensuring a legal and reliable agriculture labor supply nationwide is to enact policy that makes the H-2a program more user-friendly or to create additional facilitator organizations like the growers association, Troxler said.
In 2011, North Carolina adopted a mandatory E-Verify system to be phased in by July 2013, requiring all business owners to confirm the legal status of their workers through the electronic program.
Some North Carolina congressional leaders have said they plan to consider a more aggressive approach to the immigration issue in the future.
The mandatory E-Verify system has been a “game changer” in agriculture because many farmers have no choice but to rely on illegal labor, so there is an incentive for farmers to hire under the table, Wooten said. He noted that the business community in North Carolina would oppose strict immigration laws like those in Alabama, Georgia and Arizona because it would expedite the labor shortage and hurt the state economy.
The government should make the reforms and reduce regulations instead of asking farmers to make changes to their farms that could cost them crops and profit, Boswell said.
“It should come from a federal level,” she said. “There should be reform instead of leaving growers to solve it on their own.”
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Comments
cantstandya 9 months, 3 weeks ago
We have so many on welfare and government assistance why are they not utilized, many are very capable of work, just spoiled on government handouts. With the federal funds going out faster than they are coming in, forcing those who are able to work instead of sitting home seems to be justified, or are these the jobs Americans won't do, if so they should be taken from the state and federal pay roster.
cantstandya 9 months, 3 weeks ago
There is part of this that seems abit one sided, having relations that farm 300+ acres and at one time did employ migrants. When the migrants started causing some legal problems and disrupting the schedules demanded with crop harvest it was just easier to pay and employ locals, cost was alittle more but many have stayed employed with the family for several years, some of these farmers want to pay very little and offer no benefits, it is hard work but if you are not willing to pay for that then yes, you will find it difficult to keep help.
LSM 9 months, 3 weeks ago
This article seems to be basically about tobacco, but a large part of the problem with labor has to do with of course cost and profits. As far as food is concerned, the American public does not spend enough of their income for what would be considered the true value of the food product, or in other words are accustomed to cheap food. The cheap food is allowed by the government subsidies, which in turn is provided by the taxpayer. The hunger for cheap food will continue to drive the small producers out of business, allowing only large corporate farms. Much is said about food justice, but the real concern should be food security.
Bentpan 9 months, 3 weeks ago
It seems to me the state could recoupfunds by ordering ablebodied welfare recepiants to work in unskilled positions that are lacking participation and have the state compensated at minimum wage. A Win/Win for all concerned.
Sean 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Ouch. run-on? multiple words? commas? Win/Win!! How bout let the farmers hire who they want to hire?
Arestorer 9 months, 3 weeks ago
I hate to agree with Bentpan, but I feel the Gument should have been doing this all along..
Arestorer 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Sean; Go find a class full of kids, if you want to correct people on their grammer, puncuation or spelling....
clarabelle 9 months, 3 weeks ago
The most ironic part is that no fuss at all is made of the tobacco crop - a substance that kills hundreds of thousands of people every year.
"In the USA, about 438,000 people die from smoking-related illnesses per year. Overall, cigarette smoking accounts for about 30% of cancer deaths. Of every 5 deaths in the USA, 1 is caused from smoking."
What a crazy world!
cantstandya 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Agree with the comment stating let the government supply the farm help on a pay on a piece work basis, so much per amount one can harvest, by the day or by units. Boulder Dam was built by similiar type labor force supplied by the governments funding and employment practices, but again we have groups that will scream it is forced labor, we did not have all these advocates and rules back then, people would have jumped at the chance for employment. The welfare and social systems have been a source of early retirement for far too many.
cantstandya 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Not quite sure how the unemploment office works but, if these farmers post a job with the offices that the many unemployed check in with does that office not send people to those locations to apply. When you are offered work which is not what you once did but are capable of doing, are you not required to take that position or stand to lose your unemployment benefits, just asking.
AndrewSoboeiro 9 months, 3 weeks ago
And this, my friends, is exactly why the government needs to wildly loosen its immigration laws and offer amnesty to the illegal immigrants already here. Blocking people from coming into a country is not in anyone's interest. Immigration restrictions create labor shortages, hamper the spread of ideas, and encourage crime. The only rational policy is to let everyone in who doesn't have a history of violent crime and isn't carrying any contagious diseases.
MikeNC 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Wait a minute, the slow down of illegals into this country is due to the "CRACKDOWN" on illegal immigration? The person from Pew must of been on CRACK when he or she said it !! One of the Main reasons for less Illegals coming into this country over the past three years ain't due to the Obama Crackdown on Illegal Immigrants, it's due to Obama's Recession ! Diane
cantstandya 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Not being argumentive on the illegal immigrant issue. Now with the raising of crops and harvest time should be employment laws that assure U.S. citizans that a prevailing wage be paid, medical care for the participants until they are no longer employed, this practice could be and would be an incentive for the right workers, most seasonal work is hard but knowing it won't last forever most can manage. Our welfare and other social programs are over flowing with able body men and woman, why should they be able to refuse gainful employment, immigration is only appealing to farmers who utilze the illegal help, if they had to offer a wage that fit's the physical labor they would be spending more, if the immigrants have not yet, they will soon learn from others, and now they are not so willing to work for that low wage, happened in construction and it will follow into farming. We have to do something to get so many able bodied people removed from the welfare and destitute columns. If you are a beneficiary and are able to work if given the chance it is your responsibility to at least try, there many millions that go to work everyday and is not out of boredum
MikeNC 9 months, 3 weeks ago
One more point I want to make: Today, over half the counties in America are in drought stricken conditions. Crops failing everywhere. Don't N C farmers, Put the sign up, they will come ! Diane
cantstandya 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Not having a documented figure on this, but if we had say 1000k of farmers in this state on farms requiring farm and crop help, well that would mean each one of those farms would employ 35 migrant workers, live in a farming area, those numbers are not even close so with so many being here just who is hiring them, some of these surrounding farms have maybe 5 or 6 and often then trade those same around, most in our area have started using more locals, seems to be working.
clarabelle 9 months, 3 weeks ago
" it's due to Obama's Recession ! Diane"
Of course it is diane......... you who blame EVERYTHING on this president. The whole world is in an economic downturn and you continue to blabber with little or no facts - just a poisoned perception.
greentara13 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Why should the government do anything with a business? Let it go, let go of government subsidized business. We would just let the concept of capitalism work instead of subsidizing crappy farmers producing crappy products. Let the consumers decide who is best. Then the successful will have enough to pay for workers.
cantstandya 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Not looking for the government to get involved in businesses, what I am suggesting is take some of those that are capable of working and put them to work, if they refuse then they also lose their government checks, common sense will come into play here but it all can be worked out, I guess what I am saying is that the need to bring in migrants seems to be due in part the fact farmers can pay less, but using unemployed and able should have to work if that is all there is and they are on the system.
luckygrammy 9 months, 3 weeks ago
It is so obvious that most of you have never worked on a farm before. My daddy is a farmer and my brothers and myself helped on the farm. If he needs help now I go straight over. The story is about farmer struggling to hold on to their family farms, due to a lack of willing workers. You wouldn't believe that most of the people that came out to daddys place to apply for a job would say, well I don't work on Saturdays, or I don't like working when it gets hot. My personal favorite, can you pay me under the table so that it won't effect my food stamps/unemployment. How about trying to fill your contracts with your fruit stands and grocery stores when you don't know if you can have your shipment of vegetables ready on time. When you have to start buying your food from oversee vendors that don't comply with the FDA requirements and is fertilized with human waste perhaps people will open their eyes. By then it will be too late. Last year dad interviewed a guy who wanted to drive a tractor only. Dad asked him have you ever used a hoe, he said I don't need no hoe, I got me a girlfriend. No he wasn't a teenager, he was a young adult.
MikeNC 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Clarabelle: This is the longest recession next to the Great Depression. And both President Roosevelt and Barrack Obama played and play a heavy roll in prolonging it. For two years, the Democrats Controlled, House, Senate and White House and what did we get, Worse unemployment figures and higher foreclosures. Government Targeted stimulus on certain programs, which barely moved the needle on the meter and the end result, Obama even admitted it was a waste of money. A year and a half wasted on pushing Obamacare. Followed by more months of passing Thousands of pages of new Business regulations. It was Obama who said the first week in office " I don't pay attention to the gyrations of Wall Street", not me. And it was Obama who said, "You didn't build this, some body else did". I'm well aware that Europe plays a roll in our economy, BUT we are suffering MORE because of Obama's is clueless as to how to grow an economy. As for your distain of Tobacco. Tobacco is what is paying for the CHIP program. Might want to think twice about everyone quitting tobacco. Diane
MikeNC 9 months, 3 weeks ago
LuckyGrammy: Thank you ! I'm not sure how farmers pay: But having been in sales forever: My pay was broke down into 2 parts, hourly and commission. The more I put out, the greater the commission and desire to work harder. The only difference from my line of work and the farmers, my work was in -20degree freezers. Wages plus commission in this type of work is a win win situation. Diane
Toda 9 months, 3 weeks ago
I question how many on this blog has ever "primed tobacco"? Not one other than myself. It is very hot - hard work. Not everyone can hold up under the conditions for more than perhaps 30 minutes...
Before jumping into a conversation that few know anything about, call and make an appointment with Gene Norton at the local Job Links and ask questions ... ask farmers ... and then your comments will be more credible.
Courseaire 9 months, 3 weeks ago
I helped a neighbor farmer friend bale & stack hay for 2 summers in 90-100 degree heat - as an adult. The only compensation I got was a "Thank You" (which was the most rewarding) and a small discount on the cost of the hay for our horses. I'm sure it compares to priming. It's not something I'd ever want to do again.
mcgal 9 months, 3 weeks ago
I helped empty the sled, hand, and then as you mentioned, helped hang the sticks in the barn. I've also topped, suckered, and weeded. It was hot, dirty work but, at the end of the day you knew why you were so tired. Many children helped buy their school clothes or paid for the trip to the county fair with money earned and saved.
lakeview 9 months, 3 weeks ago
"I question how many on this blog has ever "primed tobacco"? Not one other than myself."
And me. Toda, where and when you and I grew up, it wasn't an option. Get up at 4:30, pull two barns of tobacco, bail hay or pull corn for the animals, farmers market and friends, come back after lunch (at Ethel's of course) sheet a barn of tobacco and then hurry to get home to clean up so you could make it to work your 3 til 11 job.
Courseaire 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Is priming the fire before you light the tobacco the same?
cantstandya 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Looks like we have lost that initiative, from the comments posted I would say what we have are those that have done it, with many others available who just won't do it, the remedy for that would be elimination from any social programs, there is a certain class that just refuses to work, uneducated or lacking in education and would not be suited for any other type work. Many of these are capable people yet find the system to be a means of retirement. If I were in those shoes, I would take whatever job and forever how long, point being if some can work and won't then, family and friends farm, hard work and no 9-5 job.
Toda 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Mark ~ 75 cents and hour up from 60 cents working with Clayton and Sparky Evans. 27 acres and at break, a nab and can of sardines...and potted meat. Surf - n - Turf. Sunrise to sunset 6 day a week and on Sunday we had "strippin parties", not what most would think ~ strip bacca off the sticks and sheet it for sales on Monday.
Last time I was in a fancy restaurant, a friend ordered "pate' " not knowing it was just potted meat, like we used to buy for 25 cents a can. Good old days...Mark, I bet I can still out prime you!!!!
mcgal 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Toda, kids today could do that type of work but won't. That is the main problem.
Toda 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Courseaire => Northern people call it "cropping tobacco", that's how us Southerners know they are from the north. I even had one person call it "picking tobacco" ... from way up north.
Toda 9 months, 3 weeks ago
mcgal 3 minutes ago => I don't know your children, but you know enough about harvesting tobacco, that I would venture to say, they couldn't do it! Those who worked in tobacco were different. As Mark pointed out, 4:30 and in the fields waiting for daylight to start your row. Kids today couldn't even get out of bed before daylight.
lakeview 9 months, 3 weeks ago
"Mark, I bet I can still out prime you!!!!"
Watch out now. A farmer may want us to do this challenge in his fields for free labor! I might take you up on that. I hope we don't get sick like everyone usually does that first time working in tobacco. That is a horrible feeling.
I vividly recall eating all those things (not the worm) in the tobacco fields and it's amazing we didn't died from never washing our hands prior to eating. After we'd finish putting in tobacco, hay, corn, watermelons or waterever that day, we would go down to riverbend, strip down jump in the river and someone threw a bar of Ivory soap in. Of course we'd squish tomoto all over us and let the acid cut into the tobacco gum before we all dove in. Good ole days indeed!
mcgal 9 months, 3 weeks ago
I know the hours involved, Toda. I was not talking about any one certain child. They can do physical, hot, dirty work. They choose not to. My son has been working since he was in high school with time out for several tours in the U.S. Navy. I know that if he needed to put food on the table for his family he would prime tobacco or whatever and thank the person that hired him. If the young people saw the adults in their life breaking a sweat once in a while they might, too, be willing to try.
Toda 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Mark, I don't know if I could ride any distance in the back of a pick up...much less hit the ground and start priming. I remember those days as if it were yesterday.
We both turned out well and learned at an early age what the value of a dollar was and how hard it was to earn it.
Toda 9 months, 3 weeks ago
mcgal ~ your son is the exception to the standard. Move a child out from behind a gamer or computer and put them out in a tobacco field and around 7:30 they would be ready to go home to the A/C. I've seen kids come to the fields and drop like fall leaves from a tree.
mcgal 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Malathion is an insecticide that came into use in tobacco production in the 1960's. The most used chemicals for insect control between 1964 and 1966 were Toxaphene , which had a very strong odor, and DDT. Maleic hydrazide was introdued in the 1950's as a sucker control replacing mineral oil. Someday it may be important to know exactly which chemicals you were exposed to.