Don’t Wait On D.C. For Labor Help [Opinion]
July 9, 2014 
You typically aren’t going to find much political commentary in this column. There are plenty of other media outlets that can give a much more detailed and helpful explanation of political issues and what’s happening behind the scenes in Washington, D.C.
But let’s face it. Labor is on your mind and immigration reform is reaching a critical point this summer in the nation’s capital.
Our friends at USApple and United Fresh and just about every other state and commodity association are working incredibly hard to make some kind of immigration reform happen for you. Please give them your support. Tell your story. Let your representatives know you need their help and how challenging the current system is today.
Guaranteed, for every grower reaching out to ask for help, there are many more offering an opposing view. And they’re doing it louder and more forcefully than we are. We can’t complain about the results if we don’t try to do something to help.
But all that said, I’m here to tell you that if you’re hanging in there with the status quo and waiting for the federal government to solve your labor woes, you’re endangering the future of your business.
Yes, an immigration bill has passed in the Senate and is awaiting consideration in the House of Representatives. And waiting, and waiting. …
I hope I’m wrong about this — and please feel free to tell me how wrong I was if and when it happens — but I don’t see immigration reform getting much, if any, serious consideration in the House in 2014. Entrenchment is the name of the game in Washington these days. The idea that our representatives may suddenly decide to buckle down and tackle something as potentially controversial as immigration reform in an election year? It seems unlikely.
It’s time to take the future of your labor into your own hands. So what can you do?
Mechanization is one obvious answer. Check out the relationship between Scott VanDeWalle and Dan LaGasse in this month’s cover story. This grower and this machine fabricator have worked together for 30 years as problem solvers to make VanDeWalle Fruit Farm’s labor more efficient. Scott is just one of the many growers who are looking to new technology and machinery to make field work less labor intensive.
True, not every grower has the revenue stream to afford big over-the-row trimming platforms. That’s OK. Find someone you can work with, describe your problems and what you need to accomplish, and see what kind of creative ideas you can come up with.
Consider new systems that allow for more mechanization or simply help your field laborers work better and faster. That efficiency can flow straight to your bottom line. Don’t believe me? Check out some of the eye-opening numbers Cornell’s Terence Robinson shared with us recently.
None of this is painless, obviously. The labor situation that has evolved over the last several years puts every grower in a pinch. It’s not an insurmountable problem. It just requires that we all start thinking differently and evolving our businesses to adapt to the new reality. Check out some of the ideas in the July 2014 issue of American Fruit Grower and see how you might try them in your operation on whatever scale you’re able.
Labor reform is now more of a grower issue than a political one. Any help that comes out of Washington will be gravy.
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