Farms Struggle With Immigration Crackdown

Loss Of Immigrant Labor Could Shutter Family Farms In New York

(CBS)  Jim Zappala of Zappala Farms says the federal crackdown on illegal immigrant workers is killing his business - right in the middle of harvest.

His onion farm in western New York has been targeted by immigration officials twice in just six months.

Some workers have been deported - others are too scared to return, CBS News correspondent Seth Doane reports.

"To lose this crop of approximately 3.5 million onions - due to the lack of labor - is just gonna to be a terrible situation," Zappala said.

Now, onions that should have been harvested weeks ago just sit in the field.

A lot of people would say if Zappala paid more money he could get Americans to do these jobs.

“I don't think there is any amount of money that we could pay to get workers in to hand clip these onions, or help with the field work,” Zappala said.

And, it's not just the Zappala's farm. Advocacy groups say across New York State the very survival of hundreds of farms could be at risk. And nationally, up to $9 billion dollars could be lost annually if farmers don't get the labor force they need.

Some 8,000 temporary workers are needed this fall to pick, by hand, three billion apples.

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Couric & Co. Blog: "Laborers Are Petrified."

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At Stone Ridge Orchard in the Hudson Valley, grower Mike Biltonen said it's harder this season to get the 12 migrant workers he needs to stay in business. In the past, the government has just looked the other way.

Aren’t there laws on the books to be enforced?

"There are - they’re intended to be enforced. I think they haven’t been in the past because there has been a recognized problem," he said.

Biltonen said enforcing the current laws will only force operations underground, out of the country, or out of business altogether.

[cantshutup]

I''m an American citizen...I would take a second job picking apples...I need the money to pay for the cost of health care!

[jetranger7]

Ya, these Big Corporate Ranchers and Farmers "Corporate", CBS should take a Camera and show the people just what kind of Expensive Mansions they live in, and how they live, as to why they hire and work these Illegals, so they can live in luxury, while paying below poverty wages !! Bet these Owners have Health Insurance, and take paid Vacations, how about their workers, all their illegal workers, do they have the same benefits ??? NO !!!!! Tired of hearing these idiots complain about why they need illegals here to work for them, while they live in multi-million dollar homes and drive around in expensive 60 thousand dollar pick-ups !! Enough is Enough ! Support Customs and INS and Border patrol !!

[tucano2]

What "crack down"? We may believe the government of the USA is actually enforcing current law when we read accurate reports of Illegal Aliens actually being deported in quantities of at least 250,00 a week till these criminals are all gone. Of course it is all for nothing if there is no barrier to re-entry. WHERE IS OUR FENCE? dIANNE fEINSTEIN PLEAS TAKE TIME TO ANSWER AN aMERICAN INSTEAD OF SUCKING UP TO CRIMINALS.

[whispyseas]

'' ... after a few thousand years of technological innovation, i decided that 14 billion year old civilizations probably swim around in their own crafted eternities, and probably figured out that their earth did not come before eternity ... infinite lines of resolution, infinitely fast refresh rate: infinite dances each infinitely small moment ... choose just one to view at a time! ... so joking ... ''

'' ... authorities beg for offices and jobs claiming to be responsible parties ... then when things go wrong, people who never claimed to be responsible are punished while authorities that claim responsibility go unpunished ... if a crime occurs, throw the responsible authority in prison where they belong and the irresponsible people back into the water where they belong ... ''

'' ... little naked girls know, put one naked girl on top of the news desk rallyd round the sick beds playing get well soon and feed the world, and there will be little naked girls on all the newsdesks ... which is why the little naked girls put armed dressed boys on the newsdesks, to give them a sporting chance ... ''

[hwy71so]

"yeah kick the poor hate your neighbor thats what God commanded right? ill tell you one thing your country is sinking slowly but surely just like the titanic sodom and gommorah get ready to embrace islamic law good luck amigos!!!

Posted by sunsetbillyb at 09:27 AM : Oct 11, 2007"

How about, "Submit to your governing authorities" as prescribed in the Apostle''s letter to the Romans?

Has nothing to do with hate or how poor the illegals are. Maybe those south of the border should light a fire under Vicente Fox''s hind end. Maybe get the Mexican government to take positive action to bring Mexico up to a 1st world economy instead of 3rd and 4th...

[Krazcarl]

sunsetbillyb.....TROLL

[hwy71so]

There is absolutely NO justification for hiring illegals when we have too many unemployed CITIZENS.

They can argue from whatever angle they want to; "it doesn''t pay enough", but I say it DOES pay more than they''re making unemployed.

No, they''d rather have you and me buy them food stamps and health care.

[Krazcarl]

ROADKING041..I was raised on a farm {poultry} and most farmers owe thier souls to the bank to stay in business it''s not a get rich quick scheme it''s hard. The best idea I''ve seen on the post is get the prisoners out of a cage and into the fields so when they get out have money in there pocket and some breathing room used to be done it could be like comunity service save the tax payers and honest work instills pride in folks but I didn''t think of it.

[Krazcarl]

Most crop harvesting is not done by the hour unless you process and package inside they pay by the bushel barrel or box and make much better than minimim wage up in Me. they cut classes in the fall for so the youth could pick up potatoes don''t know if they still do. They paid cash and SS numbers are never checked.

[hwy71so]

Furthermore, there''s ZERO excuse for a 15 year old to weigh 200 pounds. Look at that boy they had to cut the wall down on his house just to get him out onto a flatbed trailor to take him to the emergency room. And they want us to believe its all because he has an ailment. He most likely has that ailment due to being obese and not being active as a kid.

We''ve got too many FAT people in this country that don''t have jobs, but plenty of food stamps, to say that we need these illegals to do the work for us.

Maybe, just maybe, uh, are press gangs illegal? lol

[hwy71so]

Hard work? These punk kids these days, those who think they need a gang to belong, could use some hard work. Sweat some of that dissention out of their pores.

[hwy71so]

If Bush ever starts doing the right thing,
he would order the troops into the onion fields instead of into foreign countries.

Posted by middleman8 at 12:40 AM : Oct 11, 2007

THIS has got to be the most moronic statement posted yet. Our troops are organized for our defense, not for pulling weeds.

I say take all those people you see standing at the intersections, all those morons that call your house all day trying to get you to contribute to the sheriff''s organization, etc and put them to work in the fields.

Turn on the TV and look at the commercials. Takes them 60 people to tell you to use their cell phone service. There''re more workers for the onion and concrete fields.

There is NO excuse for these people to be hiring outside (illegal)) employees. Send the illegals home and fine those who would rely on their production.

[slim1h2o]

Somehow I just cannot envision the United States labor force of tomorrow, or today for that matter, - the labor force that was raised on air conditioning, potato chips, cupcakes, burgers and fries, tv, computers and all the gee whiz expensive toys provided by mommie and daddy - joyously running into the fields to pick crops at even the higher minimum wage of $8.00 per hour. That wouldn''''t pay their monthly junk food bill


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Posted by NativeWoman at 04:21 AM : Oct 11, 2007

That''s some of our problems today. If Mommy and Daddy would do their jobs raising their kids, they would get of that couch. These people (30) and younger, have no respect and no responsiblities. I''ve worked with these younger generation, they''re awful to work with. Can''t/won''t keep up. Which in turn, us older workers had to work that much harder, to produce the same amount of work. And when I complained about the situation, well might as well been talking to a brick wall. No wonder, we have this immigration problem.

[keithle1]

ontheleft: "Please don''''t tell me Americans can''''t do the work. Teenagers in Connecticut used to pick the tobacco crop and it was a common summer job because the teenagers couldn''''t find much else."

They CAN do it. Sure. If Americans wanted to do it, they would be doing it. They don''t want to do it. Even unemployed Americans don''t want to do farm/agricultural work. And certainly not for the
pay that these folks are working for.

Teenagers in Connecticut picking tobacco? White teenagers? How long ago was that? Are they doing it now?

Native Woman: "Do you genuinely believe droves of United States workers are going to flock to the hardest work they''''ve ever even contemplated for $8.00 an hour?

Dream on!"

[ontheleft]

Please don''t tell me Americans can''t do the work. Teenagers in Connecticut used to pick the tobacco crop and it was a common summer job because the teenagers couldn''t find much else. If you can''t find teenagers or other legal workers to do the work and still make a profit, then you need to find a more profitable crop, or move your farm down to Mexico.

[nativewoman]

Paying a minimum wage will even attract American workers...Posted by tbweb at 01:54 AM : Oct 11, 2007

Picking crops is backbreaking, hot, dirty work. The promise of a minimum wage is hardly going to draw a large work force of pampered United States citizens.

Federal Minimum wage is currently $5.85/hour to rise to a whopping $6.55/hour in 2008 and to the staggering rate of $7.25/hour in 2009.

Florida''s minimum wage is $6.67 per hour.

The minimum wage in California is $7.50 per hour to climb into the stratosphere at $8.00 per hour in January 2008. Of course, the cost of living in California also reaches the stratosphere.

Somehow I just cannot envision the United States labor force of tomorrow, or today for that matter, - the labor force that was raised on air conditioning, potato chips, cupcakes, burgers and fries, tv, computers and all the gee whiz expensive toys provided by mommie and daddy - joyously running into the fields to pick crops at even the higher minimum wage of $8.00 per hour. That wouldn''t pay their monthly junk food bill!

Do you genuinely believe droves of United States workers are going to flock to the hardest work they''ve ever even contemplated for $8.00 an hour?

Dream on!

[tbweb]

There are many legal immigrants who can do this same work. This idea that only illegal immigrants can do this work is weak! The real problem is businesses do not want to pay a living minimum wage, the real problem is businesses want to exploit the disenfranchised! Paying a minimum wage will even attract American workers. I would be willing to pay extra for farm products so that everyone who works there can enjoy a decent living wage, most Americans would as well.

[middleman8]

If Bush ever starts doing the right thing,
he would order the troops into the onion fields instead of into foreign countries.

[brianbwb-2009]

So let us also let the crack houses continue, because arresting the operation would "put the owners out of business".

If a business does not produce income for Americans, pays no taxes, provides no health coverage for its'' workers, contributes to unemployment, and produces no benefit other than increased profit for a select few owners, then such business is a drain, rather than an asset to society.

It is past time to put to rest the old neocon excuse for slavery that goes "illegals do jobs the Americans won''t do", and replace it with the truth, "illegals work for subhuman wages no American can afford".

The basic rule of capitalism, "if you can''t afford it, then you can''t have it" should apply to all if it applies to any, this includes it''s richest practitioners, and the Government that perpetuates it.

[wordamus]

Yeah, the farmers are suffering.

But I have to tell you I have a search set in Google to email news about Illegals. You could fill a blog with just the stories I get. Murder, muggings, prostitution, etc, etc. Worse yet, the bad boys come up and treat the USA as a wild west play ground. And when we hear about them on the news these guys have "rap Sheet" long as your arm. Why? What are we going to do to them...throw them out. Yeah, right. They come back again and again and again. Then they get back here, they just do more of the same.

Enough. I feel sorry for the farmers. But throw all of the illegals out, control the border and start legal immigration again and do it the right way...sanely.