Farmers are suffering for lack of labor

There was an excellent article in The Sun describing American fields ripe for harvest that are not getting picked because of a shortage of immigrants ("Labor shortages plague farms," July 7). The American Farm Bureau Federation projects $5 billion to $9 billion in annual produce industry losses because of "the labor shortages which have become commonplace for farmers" who claimed "there were 10 applicants for every job five years ago" and now must hire anybody who shows up. The cause of this labor shortage is said to be, among other things, "a crackdown on illegal immigration."

July 13, 2012