Labor Shortages Stunt CA Ag Growth

An ag labor bill sits in the senate waiting for action after being passed through the House of Representatives earlier this year. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act would significantly improve California’s ag labor shortages, and bolster food production in the state. This pain is felt throughout the country. Kansas Livestock Association CEO Matt Teagarden says the bill could change the game for farmers and ranchers.

“The bottom line is a lack of labor is limiting opportunities to grow our operations. Our members, when they think about opportunities to either feed more cattle or milk more cows, that labor component is a significant limiting factor. There are a number of folks from around the world desire to come to the United States, desire to work, and our antiquated guestworker system is a limiting factor there.”

The Farm Workforce Modernization Act offers year-round guestworkers, which would help ease the labor issues farmers and ranchers are facing.

“What we see there is an opportunity from an ag perspective to move forward. And specifically when we look at the H-2A program, the opportunity for year round guestworkers to feed cattle and milk cows, that happens every day, 365 days a year, having the opportunity to access guestworkers in that H-2A program for livestock production is really important.”

As ag faces labor shortages, those issues translate to higher costs for consumers, and lower prices for farmers and ranchers.