Michigan labor supply becomes bigger concern

09/02/2011 11:20:00 AM
Chuck Robinson

Michigan apple growers say they hope to avoid any E-Verify requirements but still fear facing a situation similar to what happened to several of the state’s asparagus producers last spring.

Lacking sufficient workers for harvest, several growers were forced to mow their asparagus crops, resulting in the loss of about 1 million pounds of asparagus valued at $850,000, according to John Bakker, executive director of the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board, DeWitt. The lost production amounted to about 5% of the state’s asparagus crop, Bakker said.

Jim Bynum, president of the Michigan Agri-Business Association, said a labor shortage is growing “progressively worse” every year.

“We don’t want illegals any more than anyone else,” Bynum said. But “we have contracts to fulfill. We need to recognize we need to use migrant labor. It’s a fact of life.”

‘The No. 1 concern of growers in Michigan is availability of labor. We need skilled workers to handle this.’

Comments (9) Leave a comment 

These apple farmers need to modernize and upgrade their farms. There happens to be apple harvesters on the market that will eliminate the need for illegal migrant workers.
So why haven't the farmers looked into using these harvesters??? I live in Washington state which grows a lot of apples and the farmers here do the same as the ones in Michigan refuse to mechanize. They simply refuse to invest in modern equipment. I as a consumer would prefer to have my apples picked with a machine

Hey, I've got an idea! Why not hire some of the 14,000,000 U.S. citizens that are out of work?

I see here the article states, "Migrant workers from Mexico and other countries harvest.... earning about $12-15 an hour, according to an industry trade group."
So the apple industry is paying people $12-15 an hour to pick apples and given our current unemployment rates, they cannot find sufficient labor. Can this possibly be true? Forgive my skepticism but this seems strange to me.

Sadly, the US has not effectively addressed this issue & again we are faced with a crisis. Having lived in Switzerland & witnessed their "Guest Worker" program which supplys that country with needed workers I ask : WHY are we so inept with this issue?

This article is interesting and contained one big surprise for me. I had no idea that apple pickers make $12-$15 an hour. That's $4-$8 more than what I make on my job! Like most Americans I was under the impression that businesses and farms wanted illegals for cheap labor, but $12-$15 an hour doesn't sound cheap to me. And it makes me wonder why Michigan apple growers are facing a possible labor shortage even if illegals aren't as available as they were in the past. Perhaps most people in Michigan don't know how much money they can make picking apples. What are apple growers doing to advertise these jobs? Yes, some Americans, even unemployed ones, do think certain jobs are beneath them. The claim that illegals are doing work Americans won't do is partially true; that's a fact opponents of illegal immigration, like myself, need to acknowledge. However, I know there are Americans willing to do this work. What about teenagers? What about Blacks, whose unemployment rate is twice the national level? Again, what are the apple growers doing to get the word out about these jobs? I bet if they tried harder they'd find more than enough Americans to pick those apples.

Us people out of work wont pick apples i have tried to hire them.

A lot of people stop looking for work the minute they get a job. The $12-$15 range is piece rate work. We have the same labor problem in Ohio. Locals will not work tobacco, tomatoes, etc. The answer is a guest worker program. Our neighbors that hire undocumented workers are ostracized by other neighbors but as my farming neighbors tell me the small family farmer's profit is slim. Additionally, their products when taken to markets are graded. Hence, when they do hire local workers, often not only are the locals slower (remember product needs to be picked before it is over ripened) but the product quality is lower. Thus, the farmers low grade product gets paid at a lower rate. A number of farmers around here go and buy the groceries for their workers to avoid some hate mongering by some locals.