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California Crops Rot as Immigration Crackdown Creates Farmworker Shortage

ThoughtEx.

ThoughtEx.

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Vegetable prices may be going up soon, as a shortage of migrant workers is resulting in lost crops in California.
Farmers say they're having trouble hiring enough people to work during harvest season, causing some crops to rot before they can be picked. Already, the situation has triggered losses of more than $13 million in two California counties alone, according to NBC News.

The ongoing battle about U.S. immigration policies is blamed for the shortage. The vast majority of California's farm workers are foreign born, with many coming from Mexico. However, the PEW Research Center reports more Mexicans are leaving the U.S. than coming here.

To make the jobs more attractive, farmers are offering salaries above minimum wage, along with paid time off and 401(k) plans, but even that's not proving enough.
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http://fortune.com/2017/08/08/immigration-worker-shortage-rotting-crops/?iid=sr-link1

Man, who could have guessed that the majority of Americans have no interest in working on farms and that migrant labor is necessary. Or could have guessed that seasonal workers who only come up here to work in season would just stay home rather than being caught on the opposite side of the wall. It's to bad that no one mentioned what terrible ideas Trump actually has concerning immigration.

Because he's literally not done anything but open his mouth, and immigrants have started to leave. Which wouldn't you know it, is going to screw our food production right up. Who could have guessed. Oh, right, those damn elites with all their damn book learning may have mentioned something like this.

Tired of all that winning yet...
 
Well it's likely not that they have no interest in working on farms, but rather they have no interest working on farms for the wages migrant labor was willing to do it for. Meaning that we were using illegal immigration, on some level, to undercut wages.

Regardless, the end would be the same and that would be that prices will increase. In this case, it's because supply will decrease due to the inability to get it from the fields. To make it so that farm work is appealing to more Americans, prices would increase because the increase in wages necessary to attract people to the job.

Of course, ultimately, you'll likely end up with better automation so that you need less people.
 
Gee, you mean a dependence on cheap foreign labor brings down wages and keeps Americans away from jobs that they otherwise could do? Isn't this what anti-immigration activists have been saying for decades? It's about time that we pick our own crops.
 
To make the jobs more attractive, farmers are offering salaries above minimum wage, along with paid time off and 401(k) plans, but even that's not proving enough.
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SCREW TRUMP! He's forcing farmers to pay workers more than the absolute bare minimum, and some may even get a couple days of vacation time!!?

This is an outrage!!!
 
Ikari said:
Well it's likely not that they have no interest in working on farms, but rather they have no interest working on farms for the wages migrant labor was willing to do it for. Meaning that we were using illegal immigration, on some level, to undercut wages.

Regardless, the end would be the same and that would be that prices will increase. In this case, it's because supply will decrease due to the inability to get it from the fields. To make it so that farm work is appealing to more Americans, prices would increase because the increase in wages necessary to attract people to the job.

Of course, ultimately, you'll likely end up with better automation so that you need less people.
Click to expand...

So by excluding foreign labor, we're going to employ more Americans, raise their wages, increase automation, and increase production, bringing down food prices. Sounds like a win all around.
 
There are 3 something million illegals in CA. Make them work.
 
Ikari said:
Well it's likely not that they have no interest in working on farms, but rather they have no interest working on farms for the wages migrant labor was willing to do it for. Meaning that we were using illegal immigration, on some level, to undercut wages.

Regardless, the end would be the same and that would be that prices will increase. In this case, it's because supply will decrease due to the inability to get it from the fields. To make it so that farm work is appealing to more Americans, prices would increase because the increase in wages necessary to attract people to the job.

Of course, ultimately, you'll likely end up with better automation so that you need less people.
Click to expand...

Notice the last line of the quote from the article, farmers are now offering above minimum wage, with paid time off, and a 401k...
 
Taylor said:
SCREW TRUMP! He's forcing farmers to pay workers more than the absolute bare minimum, and some may even get a couple days of vacation time!!?

This is an outrage!!!
Click to expand...

It is to the farmers that just lost 13 million in crops, because they can't pay Americans to do the work immigrants seek out...
 
ThoughtEx. said:
http://fortune.com/2017/08/08/immigration-worker-shortage-rotting-crops/?iid=sr-link1

Man, who could have guessed that the majority of Americans have no interest in working on farms and that migrant labor is necessary. Or could have guessed that seasonal workers who only come up here to work in season would just stay home rather than being caught on the opposite side of the wall. It's to bad that no one mentioned what terrible ideas Trump actually has concerning immigration.

Because he's literally not done anything but open his mouth, and immigrants have started to leave. Which wouldn't you know it, is going to screw our food production right up. Who could have guessed. Oh, right, those damn elites with all their damn book learning may have mentioned something like this.

Tired of all that winning yet...
Click to expand...

Man, who could have guessed that the majority of Americans have no interest paying the prices for food that would have to be paid to pay farmworkers appropriately for their hard work.
 
ThoughtEx. said:
Immigration: California Crops Rot During Farmworker Shortage | Fortune.com

Man, who could have guessed that the majority of Americans have no interest in working on farms and that migrant labor is necessary. Or could have guessed that seasonal workers who only come up here to work in season would just stay home rather than being caught on the opposite side of the wall. It's to bad that no one mentioned what terrible ideas Trump actually has concerning immigration.

Because he's literally not done anything but open his mouth, and immigrants have started to leave. Which wouldn't you know it, is going to screw our food production right up. Who could have guessed. Oh, right, those damn elites with all their damn book learning may have mentioned something like this.

Tired of all that winning yet...
Click to expand...

Seems like Moonbeam's answer might be to check out those low skilled unemployed drawing government benefits that can't find low skilled jobs.

Cut welfare, SNAP, unemployment to nothing, I'm guessing don't want to work might become less of a factor.
 
phattonez said:
So by excluding foreign labor, we're going to employ more Americans, raise their wages, increase automation, and increase production, bringing down food prices. Sounds like a win all around.
Click to expand...

You might eventually bring prices down if automation goes well enough, and then if it does, you end up employing less people than before. It's all a differential.

Sort term, prices would rise for sure.
 
ThoughtEx. said:
Notice the last line of the quote from the article, farmers are now offering above minimum wage, with paid time off, and a 401k...
Click to expand...

It's amazing what happens when you don't have access to labor that you can pay under the table.
 
Ikari said:
You might eventually bring prices down if automation goes well enough, and then if it does, you end up employing less people than before. It's all a differential.

Sort term, prices would rise for sure.
Click to expand...

While more Americans are employed. It balances out.
 
ThoughtEx. said:
Notice the last line of the quote from the article, farmers are now offering above minimum wage, with paid time off, and a 401k...
Click to expand...

And they'll have to keep doing to in order to attract enough American workers to take up the slack.
 
ThoughtEx. said:
Immigration: California Crops Rot During Farmworker Shortage | Fortune.com

Man, who could have guessed that the majority of Americans have no interest in working on farms and that migrant labor is necessary. Or could have guessed that seasonal workers who only come up here to work in season would just stay home rather than being caught on the opposite side of the wall. It's to bad that no one mentioned what terrible ideas Trump actually has concerning immigration.

Because he's literally not done anything but open his mouth, and immigrants have started to leave. Which wouldn't you know it, is going to screw our food production right up. Who could have guessed. Oh, right, those damn elites with all their damn book learning may have mentioned something like this.

Tired of all that winning yet...
Click to expand...

Looks like the farmers are going to have to figure something out. I reckon the days of two-dollar-an-hour labor, no payroll taxes, no SS and no workman's comp along with massive government subsidies are over.
 
ThoughtEx. said:
It is to the farmers that just lost 13 million in crops, because they can't pay Americans to do the work immigrants seek out...
Click to expand...

You mean the ones that we already subsidize through our taxes? I'm so saddened by their losses.
 
apdst said:
Looks like the farmers are going to have to figure something out. I reckon the days of two-dollar-an-hour labor, no payroll taxes, no SS and no workman's comp along with massive government subsidies are over.
Click to expand...

Yup, and hello drastic increase in food costs.
 
Them farmers better hurry on the robots and mechanization.
 
phattonez said:
It's amazing what happens when you don't have access to labor that you can pay under the table.
Click to expand...

You're not getting it, they raised wages and offered benefits and Americans still aren't applying for the jobs. So more crops rot, which causes shortages. It doesn't matter how much we pay the immigrants, under or over minimum wage. They want the work. It's apparent that Americans do not, otherwise there would not be a problem.
 
ThoughtEx. said:
It is to the farmers that just lost 13 million in crops, because they can't pay Americans to do the work immigrants seek out...
Click to expand...
If the insanity continues, they'll be forced to go back to selling strawberries in pint-sized green baskets and people will actually run out before they rot.

Or even worse... people may have to buy cucumbers and watermelons with slight cosmetic blemishes on the rind!! :crazy3:

Half of all US food produce is thrown away, new research suggests
 
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Put prisoners to work in the fields.
 
ThoughtEx. said:
Immigration: California Crops Rot During Farmworker Shortage | Fortune.com

Man, who could have guessed that the majority of Americans have no interest in working on farms and that migrant labor is necessary. Or could have guessed that seasonal workers who only come up here to work in season would just stay home rather than being caught on the opposite side of the wall. It's to bad that no one mentioned what terrible ideas Trump actually has concerning immigration.

Because he's literally not done anything but open his mouth, and immigrants have started to leave. Which wouldn't you know it, is going to screw our food production right up. Who could have guessed. Oh, right, those damn elites with all their damn book learning may have mentioned something like this.

Tired of all that winning yet...
Click to expand...

This is the most mind boggling leftist point of view lol.... You want Higher wages, higher minimum wages.... but want to import second class citizens to work at slaves wages... This is exactly how you raise wages.... this is exactly how you create jobs..... YOU CREATE DEMAND FOR LABOR!!!! Is it going to be a perfect transition? No... because these markets are reliant on illegal slave labor essentially... it's going to take a few years to equalize...

I am amazed by the stupidity... or hidden malice o_O
 
jimbo said:
Seems like Moonbeam's answer might be to check out those low skilled unemployed drawing government benefits that can't find low skilled jobs.

Cut welfare, SNAP, unemployment to nothing, I'm guessing don't want to work might become less of a factor.
Click to expand...

You don't even have to completely eliminate them. Just require them to work, and watch those expenses plummet. This has been the universal experience of those states that require work for those benefits.

Interestingly enough, the unemployment rate for California blacks is 11%. I wonder how much they'll benefit from the crackdown on illegal labor.
 
apdst said:
Looks like the farmers are going to have to figure something out. I reckon the days of two-dollar-an-hour labor, no payroll taxes, no SS and no workman's comp along with massive government subsidies are over.
Click to expand...

As they should be.
 
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