Farmers Seek Alternatives Amid Labor Shortage

The decline of a domestic farm labor pool could force producers to plant crops that require less labor or to place greater emphasis on technology and mechanization. The labor trend also is likely to lead to more reliance on the foreign guest worker program, predicts the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association.

Over the past 15 years, the number of U.S. farm workers has dropped by about 12 percent, a loss of over 104,000 workers, the association’s research states. Florida and California have been most affected and have raised pay to attract help.

The shortage has also driven farmers to depend more on the H-2A program, which brings in foreign workers on a seasonal basis. The program saw a record-setting number of requests in 2018 and certified 242,762 positions, which represents a 196 percent increase over 10 years.

Source: Politico