Posted 2 months, 17 days ago in 
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Gary Akers is right to say that people are tired of an immigration system that does not work. All of his other statements are mistaken.
Businesses throughout the United States are indeed “suffering unnecessarily due to some misguided attempt at securing our country’s border.” Farm Bureau estimates that America is in danger of losing at least one-third of our domestic fruit and vegetable production. The “unfriendly climate toward immigrant” labor is not only real, it is no accident. Many legislators have repeatedly claimed that the unfriendly climate in Colorado was the objective of much of the legislation they have proposed regarding this issue.
Higher wages are no inducement to labor that does not exist. The belief that the 75 percent of agricultural labor that is immigrant and Hispanic can be replaced with domestic labor, regardless of the wage, is no longer held by anyone remotely familiar with farm-labor issues.
To characterize these agricultural workers as unskilled is untrue and unfair. There is no pool of under- or unemployed citizens to take these jobs. The tiny fraction of citizens who actually try farm work are generally found to have lost the ability and the inclination to engage in strenuous physical labor for one day, much less throughout an entire season, season after season. Many agricultural employers have tried every possible avenue to hire local labor and it just does not exist. Anyone who says otherwise has not tried. With so little available labor, no one turns away willing and able help of any kind.
The H2H program that Mr. Akers claims to be the answer to all labor problems, does and can work for some employers. But the supply of labor created by H2H is woefully inadequate and the program is flawed for many employers, especially those needing high volumes of short term-labor. Much of agriculture’s labor need falls into that category. And while most employers treat their guest workers with dignity and respect, the H2H program continues to be plagued by abuses. H2H is a part of the solution, for employer and employee, but far from the complete solution.
I too remain frustrated with the lack of progress on comprehensive immigration reform. But if we decide to treat our agricultural labor as an asset rather than a liability, and
let the facts guide our decisions, America can and will, create sane and humane comprehensive immigration policy.
MARK HARRIS
Grand Valley Hybrids
Grand Junction
4 Responses to “Domestic fruit and vegetable crops threatened by lack of labor”
Posted May 7th, 2008 at 12:04 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
Mr. Harris, Why is it that you don’t mention that you head the group “Western Colo. Justice for Immigrants”? This wouldn’t be a front for paying your labor, who can’t complain, a little less, would it? The reason you don’t have labor is because the illegal alien will not work for $16.00 a day anymore. They are working in the highest paying jobs in the area, oil and gas, and they completely dominate the service industry. Why should they work in the rain, when they can get room and board for free?
You can cry and whine all you want, but if the rule of law on which on which our country is founded is ignored by some, anarchy and the destruction of our country will follow. If illegal aliens are not breaking the law, why do they need amnesty and why would they consent to a fine. Now you are advocating for all to break the law. If you choose to break the law, then you should be willing to stand the consequences.
Why don’t you hire them legally? Too expensive, too much of your profit goes into following the rules, right?
Posted May 12th, 2008 at 7:35 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
Mr. Harris
If you talk to many old timers in the mines, oil and gas fields and construction they will confirm that their jobs are indeed being taken by illegal aliens. No matter how many foreign workers we allow in legally to work seasonal farm jobs, or how many sneak in illegally, you will not have enough ag workers. Like most workers, they want the best wages and working conditions. You need to lobby to put in place a system that actually tracks, confirms that workers brought in legally to do seasonal ag work do just that or get deported, then maybe you would have the workers you state you need. While your at it, you might want to consider supporting the enforcement of our laws and securing our borders as any good American citizen should do, not defending the rights of those who break our laws over and over again.
Posted May 12th, 2008 at 7:46 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
Mr. Harris, did you know that it is illegal to harbor a fugitive?
Did you also know that it is illegal to aid and/or abet a person in the commission of a crime?
Did you know that IF the laws ever get enforced, you get arrested, and I end up on your jury, things will not go well for you in the jury room?
Posted May 13th, 2008 at 11:16 am Login to Send PM Report this comment
Mr. Harris, I am looking for work. I live basically with no frills, yet I need to earn 14.00 to 15.00 per hour with a 40 + hour work week, to cover rent for my daughter and I. food, utilities, GAS, Mr. Harris are you willing to pay me that much to work straight labor? I have a BA in Business, an very internet literate with a background in website research, development, and marketing. I have lived in GJ for over 13 years, raised seven children here most of whom are still in the area, working and living on their own.
I, re read your letter’s heading, got off this page and went to GJS’s employment page. First off, there is no “Farm Worker” classification, none. Then when I did a Yahoo Job search of the same, there weren’t any job listings found in our area either, none.
When my brother and I were kids, young teenagers, we made $20.00 bucks a day sorting tomatoes on a six man/woman picking crew. He and I were the only ones on the job that spoke English. In the afternoon the job foremen would come along, we would sign a labor record sign in sheet and got paid at the end of the day. Big bucks back then.
Work was hard but steady, if you’ve ever picked tomatoes you know what I mean. Daily temperatures got up to 115 degrees during the summer months in the valley there with few breaks, all that being said, hard work is not a distant relative of mine. Speaking of hard work, I was a single dad of six for a while, if you’ve ever been a single parent you know what I mean. :O) Finding work from area farmers? I can’t find any, with basic research applied, I still don’t know where to look, who’s fault is that?
Mr. Harris, I don’t know you at all. My letter here is based on what I read from your own hand. It seems Sir that you want workers but do not want to pay them their worth, paying under the table, paying un-educated, and a transient type labor pool are the norm for farm labor’s I know, I’ve seen it first hand; you Mr. Harris say differently. Sorry, but of me, I am none of those, I guess my self worth comes into play here. I can earn my keep picking tomatoes, peaches or researching a persons self-worth and to develop a website to prove it, Farm owners though do not want to pay what an individual is worth, and then they gripe about the poor or lacking labor pool. Seems like some area farmers have created their own problem when it comes to the pay scale, the rest of the US have created a problem by not correcting the illegal immigrant problem before now.
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