Immigration Reform & Disaster Designations plus Looking at Ag's History

Immigration Reform & Disaster Designations plus Looking at Ag’s History. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

We’ve all heard stories about farmers troubles with getting enough labor to harvest with. Apple and soft fruit producers right now in the northwest are scrambling to make sure they have the labor they need. But people like Georgia blueberry farmer Jason Berry may not have a crop if immigration reform doesn't happen. 

BERRY: If comprehensive immigration reform is not passed and we’re not given the opportunity to have a workable guest worker program in particular I think we’ll continue to see farms in Georgia particularly, reduce their size, reduce their output and as a result reduce money coming into our state economy.

USDA has been keeping tabs on the areas of the northwest where wildfires are destroying thousands of acres of lands. They have just designated Gem county in Idaho as a Primary Natural Disaster area. What that means is that farmers in Gem and contiguous counties may be eligible for low interest emergency loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency , provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses.

Now looking at the history of agriculture. Rod Bain has the story.

(USDA Report)

Thanks Rod. That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.