Immigration Decline Hurting US Farmers Mike W. Thomas - San Antonio Business Journal
go to original May 21, 2012

The economic downturn has reduced immigration along the U.S.-Mexico border leading to labor shortages in the agrriculture industry, according to a report by Bloomberg.

Weakened U.S. job and housing construction markets, heightened border enforcement, a rise in deportations and the dangers associated with illegal crossings contributed to the decline in immigration, according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center.

“There’s been a huge migration of skilled agricultural labor into Mexico,” says Larry Cox, who farms lettuce, cantaloupes and onions on 3,500 acres in Imperial County, California. “There is a creeping up of the average age of our workforce. We’re not getting replacements.”

Mike W. Thomas covers technology, military, regulatory issues and does small-business reporting/editing.

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