Still Working On Immigration

Still Working On Immigration. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture. Congress is still out on their August recess but will have plenty to keep them busy when they get back next week. One big issue will be some kind of comprehensive immigration reform. Ag Sec Tom Vilsack recently told reporters what he sees as important about common sense immigration reform. VILSACK: Whatever needs to be done has to be comprehensive. It has to secure the border. It has to create opportunities for an earned pathway to citizenship for those who are currently here with them acknowledging wrong doing through the payment of fines and penalties as well as learning the language and paying back taxes. Because of the uncertainty of our immigration policy and the broken nature of it more and more farmers and growers and producers around the country are beginning to make the decision to pull back. Sarah Marie Frey-Talley of Frey Farms Produce Co. in Illinois says there are many growers who have reduced their operations due to the lack of workers and that is causing money to be lost. FREY-TALLEY: Many fresh produce companies have actually moved their companies outside the U.S., for instance into Mexico where they do have an adequate labor supply. So we are actually importing more of our fresh fruits and vegetables now because of the lack of access to an adequate workforce. And she says that as more and more people are looking for locally grown, fresh fruits and vegetables, locally sourced products...this is will only exacerbate the problem. That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.