Uh oh. Crops rotting in the fields.
Vegetable prices may be going up soon, as a shortage of migrant workers is resulting in lost crops in California.
Farmers say they’re having trouble hiring enough people to work during harvest season, causing some crops to rot before they can be picked. Already, the situation has triggered losses of more than $13 million in two California counties alone, according to NBC News.
Mind you, when I see those claims I always think they’re leaving something out: Farmers say they’re having trouble hiring enough people at low enough wages. But still, this is also a wholly foreseeable consequence of Trump’s racist war on immigrants.
The ongoing battle about U.S. immigration policies is blamed for the shortage. The vast majority of California’s farm workers are foreign born, with many coming from Mexico. However, the PEW Research Center reports more Mexicans are leaving the U.S. than coming here.
To make the jobs more attractive, farmers are offering salaries above minimum wage, along with paid time off and 401(k) plans, but even that’s not proving enough.
“Even”? The work is backbreaking and often hazardous, and “above the minimum wage” isn’t exactly wealth. But still, for many people it’s both a step up and a ladder up and out for their children. Anyway – this is Trumpland now, so get used to it.
Comments
10 responses to “More fleeing than arriving”
Well that was sooner than I thought… and some farmers are able to pay below minimum wage given the right circumstances even.
Waiting for the screams of outrage as prices go up due to farmers (well, the mega-corps the own the farms) having to pay those greedy serfs more money to pick the crops.
Speaking of fleeing: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5527313/George-Nader-key-witness-Muellers-Russia-probe-FLEES-US.html
Apparently, Ralph Nader has fled the US after talks between a member of the UAE royal family and un-named US officials resulted in the officials allowing Nader to leave.
Sounds a tad suspicious to me.
Think there’s a typo here? Though I’m sure there is no love lost between Ralph Nader and our current administration.
When a substantial portion of the economy positively depends upon illegal immigration, how much strutting and posing can we afford?
iknklast, typo? I must be missing something obvious ‘cos I can’t see what it might be.
AoS
“Ralph” is an unusual spelling of “George”.
Aaagh! I need more sleep.
Not just California, but all across the country. Here in Michigan it’s the apple and cherry orchards as well as the cash crops getting hit. Including a large local apple orchard owned (delicious irony) by a Trumpkin.
I am morosely envisioning a future where there may be a hard choice to source the almonds for my semla from either Demonic California or People’s Califate of the Turkey. (A local seasonal deli cardamom wheat bun stuffed with almond paste and whipped cream, in theory available for Mardi Gras but actually more like four months. Really hard on facial hair integrity and on generally maintaining an elegant stance.)
As the Prophet (((Tom Lehrer))) spake: Should Americans pick crops? George says no, ‘cos no one but a Mexican would stoop so low. But after all, even in Egypt the Pharaos, had to import Hebrew brazeros. (pbuh2).
Also, fires, draughts and floods. What’s holding up the grasshoppers, eh? And the earthquakes and pestilences? Now, if all those could be concentrated on just a few addresses, that’d be great. ktxsby