Right now, things are busier than ever on Paul Meador’s farm in Lee County. With strawberry season fast approaching, Meador says he’s already managing the tomato, jalapeño, and orange harvests — and every worker makes a difference.
“I employ about a thousand people at this time of year,” he said. But since the federal government shutdown began, Meador says his operation has felt the pressure mounting.
That’s because his workforce depends on the H-2A program — a federal system that allows farms to bring in temporary foreign laborers to help with seasonal crops. For the past 28 days, that program has been frozen.
“We have no plan B,” he said. “Over the last two decades, the domestic workforce has been unavailable to help us. We don’t have anybody else to fall back on to help with the harvest.”
On Tuesday, Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26) sat down with WINK News Anchor Claire Galt and a group of Florida fruit and vegetable growers for an exclusive roundtable discussion.
Farmers at the meeting warned that the longer the H-2A program remains paused, the greater the potential for devastating consequences. “The crops will be lost,” Meador said. “It will be overwhelming.”
According to records, Florida growers recently sent a letter to the Office of Management and Budget — part of the Executive Office of the President — pleading for urgent action.
“If the USDOL (Department of Labor) does not quickly resume certifying H-2A applications, 40% of Florida’s annual H-2A workforce may not arrive in time for harvest,” the letter states.
The letter also warned that producers could face “upwards of $30,000 per acre for some commodities” in potential losses. Jamie Fussell, Director of Labor Relations for the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, said the situation has reached a breaking point.
“The Department of Labor is particularly the part right now that is held up,” he said. “If the certifications can’t move, the rest of the process can’t work.” Rep. Díaz-Balart said his top priority is to get key government programs back up and running as quickly as possible.
“In the meantime, I’m going to go to the administration and kind of plead with them to bring some of these folks in Washington back to work to at least process so that farmers and growers can get back to work,” Rep. Díaz-Balart said. “Because right now – they’re facing a major catastrophe.”
Fussell added that if the government doesn’t act soon, the fallout could extend beyond farms and into grocery stores and local economies.
“You know, the biggest concern is that if there’s not product, then competitors may eventually enter the market,” Fussell said. “Also, having competition from US farms helps keep prices low for American consumers and shoppers.”
Meador said he hopes Rep. Díaz-Balart’s outreach to Trump works — because in just a few weeks, the consequences could be devastating. Rep. Díaz-Balart said he remains committed to protecting the industry and the workers who sustain it. “Florida depends very heavily on this,” Rep. Díaz-Balart said.
Source – WinkNews
