Vegetable Harvest in Jeopardy, No Workers

Harvest begins next month in Yuma for much of the nation's winter vegetable crops. The big question is, who will be doing the job of getting the food from the fields to your dinner table.

Arizona's tough new employer sanctions law, which takes effect Jan. 1, is scaring away many of the 30,000 workers needed each day.

Paul Muthart with Pasquinelli Produce said growers cannot rely on American workers moving into the region to fill the void.

"This is seasonal-type work in an out-of-the-way place in our country, and it's about getting people who are willing to do this hard labor out there," Muthart said. "Sad to say, there aren't American citizens who are willing to come into this region to work for six months."

He added, "This is not about money. It's about who's willing to do the work. We have a wonderful asset across the border, people who are skilled and can come in here and do the work we need and then go home at night and live in Mexico."

Muthart said a lack of workers will undoubtedly mean a hit to your wallet.The Bush administration is trying to speed up paperwork for growers requesting legal temporary crop pickers, so produce this year will not rot in the field.

"Along about Nov. 5, we'll have two things going -- the growing aspect and the harvesting aspect and so we'll have twice the demand on the work force," Muthart said. "That's when we really expect to see the shortage of labor.

Yuma produces about 90 percent of the nation's winter broccoli, cauliflower and lettuce crops, and Muthart said there's no backup plan for harvesting.

"Detroit can paint cars with robots, we can't do that," said Muthart. "We can't harvest and take care of the crops robotically or with machines. We need the human person. What's going to happen basically is not all the crops are going to get harvested, not all the crops are going to get grown. What we can expect, realistically, is a shortage of product, a shortage of vegetables in the marketplace."

State Rep. Lester Pearce, R-Mesa, said prices of products and services will even out, with stricter enforcement of immigration laws.

"I may pay a dollar or maybe two dollars more for a head of lettuce, but my health care will be cheaper," he said.

He said, because of illegal immigration, Americans already are paying more for things like medical care and schools.

"Cheap labor is not cheap," Pearce said. "The cost to America is huge."

He said businesses rely too much on cheap, and often illegal, workers.

"There's never a job an American won't do if you're willing to pay him the right price."

Meanwhile, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce is helping employers get ready for the new employer sanctions law.

"Under current Arizona law, every employer in the state must sign up with the federal E-verify," said Glen Hamer of the chamber. "We're partnering with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to offer a weekly web seminar for companies who are learning about this E-verify program. All they need to do is go to the Arizona chamber's website."

Hamer said only about 600 businesses are up to date on their training. That's fewer than half which must do so before January.