THE DIALOGUE on biotech crops is not and should not be over, a panel said last week at an international biotech conference in Chicago. ...........................................4
A METEOROLOGIST predicts the cool, wet pattern that dominated March and April could continue into the first part of May, further delaying planting. ...............6
ANOTHER LARGE disbursement from the 1st Farm Credit Services (FCS) donor-advised fund was made last week. It was the third such disbursement. ...............8
Hog producer: Immigrant labor no ‘cheap’ labor
IFB team seeks labor reforms Monday, April 29, 2013
BY MARTIN ROSS FarmWeek
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Twelve years ago, McLean County hog producer Pat Bane hired locally, only to find his farm to be a “revolving door” for inexperienced, short-term workers. Today, Bane employs sevenfull-time migrant workers. While he admits he initially was apprehensive about that decision, Bane said he now values their seemingly “innate ability” to underPat Bane stand and care for animals — a quality “you just can’t find in an American workforce any more.” And, he notes, “they don’t leave.” Bane took that message to Capitol Hill last week as part of Illinois Farm Bureau’s producer immigration “strike team.” The team stumped for ag labor reform as bipartisan senators pushed a comprehensive immigration bill that offers a two-tiered ag program and Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) unveiled a more cautious, “step-by-step” specific ag worker proposal.
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“About 10 years ago, we were employing U.S. workers,” Bane told FarmWeek. “The situation got to where it was just a revolving door — we couldn’t get people to make the commitment. The people trained, and then they’d leave. “The tendency is for people to think (ag laborers) are unskilled workers. We have a sow farm where we do artificial insemination. We have 20plus sows farrowing a day — they need to be assisted in birthing. There’s just a lot of work. We need these people. We who use migrant labor do not consider them ‘cheap’ labor — they’re better labor.” Bane admits the Senate plan (see page 2) is “not perfect.” However, it’s proposed new “Blue Card” system offers a “very nice” alternative to the
current H-2A seasonal guest worker program, which fails to meet continuous livestock labor needs, Bane said. The prospect of Blue Card holders being able to earn expanded Green Card status would help assure the longterm reliability of that labor pool, he maintained. Bane said
More on immigration on page 2
he rejects the notion that workers would view the Blue Card as an easy path to U.S. citizenship, arguing they “just want to be able to travel and see their families.” Goodlatte reported his agspecific proposal would offer existing undocumented workers “some kind of legal status,” but remained resistant to what he termed a “special pathway to citizenship.” But, unlike
Senate proposals, Goodlatte’s plan extends to ag processors as well as farm labor. National Pork Producers Council spokesman Dave Warner told FarmWeek “the packers are very interested in immigration reform.” Congressional reforms would accommodate electronic worker verification systems and thus reduce potential penalties for unwittingly hiring illegal workers who have submitted apparently genuine paperwork, Warner said. Bane saw a generally positive attitude toward immigration reform on the Hill, though he said he realizes it is “a very difficult issue” particularly with regard to a SenateHouse compromise. Although the Senate proposal includes more stringent U.S. border security provisions,
Bane sees a House push to further strengthen them. IFB National Legislative Director Adam Nielsen suggests Goodlatte’s proposal may provide a sound starting point for a House “that just needs to produce a bill.” House reform advocates are aware success likely lies in “how they approach each of the elements,” and ag and border security thus are seen as key “upfront” issues, he said. Bane warns of the possible economic ripple effects of an inadequate livestock labor supply. “ If we lose our livestock, what’s going to eat the corn and beans?” he posed. “If we don’t import our labor, we may end up importing our food.”
The Illinois River surrounds Tazewell County farms about four miles south of the Powerton Generating Station in Pekin. Tazewell County and 47 other counties have been declared state disaster areas. Today (Monday), the state starts assessing damage, a requirement for seeking federal assistance. (Photo by Sean Arians, Woodford County Farm Bureau member)
Quinn seeks FEMA help to assess area flood damage BY KAY SHIPMAN FarmWeek
Gov. Pat Quinn sought help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) last week to assess flood and storm damage as flooding continued, especially along the Illinois River. Information gathering was to start today (Monday) in Northern Illinois and move
into other areas after floodwaters recede, according to the governor’s staff. That documentation is required for the state to seek federal disaster assistance. Over the past week and a half, the governor has seen flood damage and met with local officials in 15 communities across the state. Additional counties were
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added to the list of those initially declared state disaster areas, bringing the total to 48. Those counties are Adams, Brown, Bureau, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Champaign, Clark, Cook, Crawford, DeKalb, Douglas, DuPage, Fulton, Greene, Grundy, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Jersey, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kendall, Knox, Lake, LaSalle, Lawrence, Livingston, Marshall,
Mason, McDonough, McHenry, Mercer, Morgan, Ogle, Peoria, Pike, Putnam, Rock Island, Schuyler, Scott, Stark, Tazewell, Warren, Whiteside, Will, Winnebago, and Woodford. In those counties, local officials have access to a variety of assistance from state resources. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency is coordinating the state’s flood response.
Illinois Farm Bureau®on the web: www.ilfb.org