7-8 NWR GMO Bill Passes

The American Farm Bureau Federation calls the growing problem of not enough agriculture workers a national issue. Farmers across the United States continue to tell lawmakers there just aren't enough workers to meet demand.

The federal government currently has the H-2A visa program, which allows short term visas, so crops can be harvested.

However, many growers say the U.S. Government is not keeping up with demand. American Farm Bureau Federation president Zippy Duvall says that is a serious problem for farmers.

Duvall says not only are there too many delays, but there's also too much red tape. Duvall says consumers should also be worried about the lack of movement to resolve H2-A slowdowns. A video released last week by the American Farm Bureau shows the struggle farmers face when it comes to labor. The video can be found online at (www.fb.org).

Elsewhere, according to the New York Times news service, the GMO labeling bill has cleared a major hurdle in the Senate. The approval is a big win for food companies, farm groups and the biotech industry, which began pushing for a national standard last year in order to head off a Vermont labeling law that went into effect last Friday.