From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution today:
Nearly half of the 132 Georgia businesses polled in a private survey this month say they are experiencing agricultural labor shortages.
And of those who reported shortages to the Georgia Agribusiness Council, more than a third said immigrants are concerned about the state’s new anti-illegal immigration law.
The council started doing the survey after farmers complained the new law is scaring migrant farmworkers away from Georgia and putting hundreds of millions of dollars in crops at risk. [emphasis ours]
http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/14950054/exclusive-cbs-atlanta-investigates-migrant-labor-shortage-on-ga-farmsCurrently, there are 11,000 vacancies in the farm industry. CBS Atlanta News wanted to know how these vacancies were affecting farmers and what it would be like to work on a farm for a day. CBS Atlanta's Mike Paluska worked on a blackberry farm in Wray, GA. Paluska picked blackberries with migrant workers for more than ten hours. In that time, Paluska earned roughly $60 after picking 17 boxes of blackberries at $3.50 a box.
Out of 200 workers on the farm 200 were picking blackberries. Farm owner, J.W. Paulk said that is 100 workers less than last year.
"I would say right now we have lost over $100,000 and by the end of the season it will be over $200,000 in lost sales," said Paulk.
Paulk said he has tried recruiting from the local labor pool but has had no luck.
"We put in job requests with the local Department of Labor, and we have not had a single person come," said Paulk.
Governor Nathan Deal released a statement last week. In that statement he said that farmers could use probationers to fill the 11,000 vacancies left behind by migrant workers. It was a statement Paulk said he was shocked to hear.
"It's a joke. No disrespect to the governor. But, it is a skill," said Paulk. "It's something that is very meticulous, and I am doubtful that (probationers) would be suitable labor for us."
Paluska learned first-hand that working in the fields is a skill. Most of the skilled laborers doubled the amount of blackberries picked. At times, Paluska even slowed down the line while quality control checked to make sure his blackberries were suitable to be shipped."
Paulk said local workers are far and few between. "Normally, they do not last usually less than a day because of the heat, and because they just can't pick fast enough to make a decent wage."