Farm labor shortages disputed

WASHINGTON, D.C.

November 6, 2007 6:17am
There’s little evidence to support arguments that California and other U.S. farmers are facing a farm labor shortage, according to a new study by the Center for Immigration Studies.

Production of fruits and vegetables has been increasing with plantings of very-labor intensive crops such as cherries and strawberries growing by more than 20 percent in just five years, says the study authored by Philip Martin, a professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of California, Davis.


“Real wages for farm workers increased one-half of one percent a year on average between 2000 and 2006. If there were a shortage, wages would be rising much more rapidly,â€