MONTE ALTO, Texas – Rio Grande Valley agricultural employers are asking federal officials for a more predictable legal workforce system as labor shortages add pressure to an industry already struggling with limited water.
Growers raised the issue during a roundtable and visit to Rio Farms with U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz and acting U.S. Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling. Representatives of citrus, produce and farming organizations described difficulty finding enough workers for seasonal planting and harvest operations.
Rio Farms General Manager Matt Klostermann said water remains his greatest concern, but labor is close behind. A crop can be lost even when water is available if workers are not present during a narrow harvest window.
Agricultural employers can use the federal H-2A program to hire temporary foreign workers when they demonstrate a shortage of available domestic labor. Growers have long complained that the process is expensive, slow and difficult to adjust when weather changes the timing of field work.
Enforcement activity and fear of immigration arrests can also reduce the number of workers reporting to farms, construction sites and other businesses. Employers said they want a lawful system that provides enough certainty to plan a season and protect the food supply.
De La Cruz and Sonderling discussed workforce and immigration policy but did not announce an immediate regulatory change during the visit. Any major revision to visa numbers or immigration law would require federal action.
The labor discussion is tied to the Valley's water crisis because growers may be reluctant to plant if they are uncertain they will have both irrigation water and workers available when a crop matures.
