We need an agricultural worker bill

Printed in Fresno Bee 2/7/2013

            The San Joaquin Valley is the world’s most productive farmland. The total value of the 2011 crop was $25.9 billion, nearly 60% of California’s $43.5 billion.  Only Iowa had a greater total of agricultural produce, with $29.9 billion.  Texas was next with $22.7 billion in agricultural sales.  We produce milk, almonds, oranges, cotton, tomatoes, corn, poultry, and much more.  The California raisin is the most famous and the most labor intensive crop in this amazing food bonanza.

            In August and September you can see thousands of Hispanic crews working the vineyards.  In all of Central California, there is only one vineyard harvested primarily by Anglos.

            At the southern end of Avenue 35 in Madera County are 80 acres of Thomson grapes owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Mormons.  At harvest time, hundreds of volunteers pick the grapes and lay them on paper trays to dry in the sun.  The old fashioned method of harvesting produces the best raisins, but for most farmers, labor is in short supply.  Many farmers are opting for mechanical harvesting due to the labor shortage.  This can result in lower quality raisins and a loss of $20 to $40 per ton.     

            It is believed that 85% of California farm labor is done by illegal aliens with counterfeit documents.  Some members of Congress insist that farmers should be forced to use E-Verify to weed out the illegal aliens.  They say that once the illegals are gone, they will consider voting for an agricultural worker program.  These members of Congress would destroy valley agriculture to satisfy constituents in non-farming districts who don’t understand the issue.

            Americans believe this work is unskilled labor.  Anyone can do it, why not force those receiving unemployment checks to go help?  The truth is, agricultural work does require skills.  I have spent 29 years working as a volunteer on the Madera County vineyard.  If the help was not free, most of us would be fired.  Few Anglos can keep up the pace of the Hispanic Mormons who have experience harvesting raisins.  Speed, however, is not the only sign of skill.  Each row is assigned a row captain who must correct the mistakes of new pickers.  Each paper tray should have about the same amount of grapes on it.  The grapes, called berries, must all dry at about the same time so they can be picked up at the same time.

            The real test of skill comes in January when the vines are pruned.  Each vine has a dozen or more canes growing from it.  The old canes are cut off and the new canes are trimmed to the correct size for the wire trellis they will be tied to.  Skilled surgeons, working as volunteers, often make cuts that kill the vine.  They could be sued for malpractice.  On the next row are attorneys making similar mistakes.  Skill in white collar jobs does not translate to ability in farming.

            An agricultural worker bill is needed because there is only one Central Valley vineyard with volunteer labor.  Growers need a dependable source of labor at harvest time or an entire crop will be lost.  This need is recognized by President Obama and by the bi-partisan group of Senators advocating immigration reform.  So, what is the problem?

            Some senators want immigration enforcement first.  This means securing the borders and making farmers use E-Verify before passing an agricultural jobs bill.  E-Verify is a program that compares names against the immigration database and social security records.  It is not 100% accurate, but is the best we have right now.  If an employee’s name is rejected, the person cannot be hired.

            During the amnesty program 25 years ago, Central California had more applicants than the entire state of Florida.  Fresno is ground zero for AgJobs.  We need an agricultural worker bill before making E-Verify mandatory.