BRET BAIER (HOST): President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration is having a negative impact and effect on the agriculture industry. The loss of workers, causing problems for farmers out west. Correspondent Dan Springer takes a look from Washington state tonight.
DAN SPRINGER (CORRESPONDENT): When ICE raided a California farm in June, rounding up illegal immigrants, the ripple effect has led to worker shortages at farms all the way up the west coast. Some cherry growers in Oregon and Washington state say they had to leave more than a third of their crop on the trees.
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The USDA reports 42% of farm workers are undocumented. Other estimates say it’s at least two-thirds. But, that could be changing. Just about every worker in this apple orchard in Brewster, Washington is a legal foreign guest worker on a six-month contract through the government’s H2A program.
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Gebbers Farms is the largest cherry producer in the U.S. This year it hired more than 3,500 guest workers from Mexico, South America, and Jamaica, over 90% of its workforce. The biggest downside, cost. Employers pay for transportation, housing, and wages close to $20 an hour, about $3 above the state’s minimum-wage. The Trump administration has proposed a major streamlining overhaul.
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Use of the H2A program has been growing steadily for years and now sits at 380,000 guest farm workers, a 300% increase since 2010. But, most small and mid sized growers still can’t afford it, leaving them at risk of losing their workforce and ultimately, their farms.
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