12/09/08 What to Expect?

What To Expect? I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. We are all wondering what the Obama Administration is going to do and farmers especially are holding their breath. Washington's apple industry is trying to look into that crystal ball and according to National Council of Ag Employers Executive Vice President, Frank Gasperini the administration has said they are in favor of immigration reform. GASPERINI: That doesn't mean they will pass it immediately. But Gasperini says the immigration issue has been referred to as the "third rail" and it is really unclear as to whether it will even be addressed in the first year. Gasparini also says it will be interesting to see what happens with the shift in power. GASPERINI: We have also lost a lot of moderate Republicans who were on our side on the immigration issue; who were helping with AgJobs and with immigration reform and what we don't know now is what the blue dot Democrats, those conservative Democrats who years ago were good friends of agriculture; were the go to people for us but the last few years have voted with their caucus along party lines because they were afraid not to. The question is whether some of those conservative Democrats will find their voices again now in a majority Congress. And AgJobs is not dead. GASPERINI: We've put together pretty successfully a bi-partisan group of very odd-bedfellows from labor from activist worker advocacy groups from agriculture and other parts of industry to work to streamline the whole agricultural guest worker program in a way that allows trained, trusted and valued workers who aren't properly documented to stay in the country. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.