Thread: Major grower ends crop, lacking workers

The same above article is in the Houston Chronical and allows comments at the end of the story if you are interested!

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hea ... 44706.html

A farm bill under negotiation in Congress may allow farmers to also receive a federal supplement for their cobs.

If it has to be supplemented by tax dollars, then we don't need it. Ethanol is a giant rip-off and this is about the 3rd or 4th time we have gotten on this ethanol kick. It's insane for taxpayers to shell out 50+ cents a gallon in govt. subsidies to produce fuel that gets less mileage and produces more smog because of high VOCS in ethanol.

61 years old and ready to retire, that's probably the real reason he is getting out of the tomato business.

What did he make growing tomatos? Tomato pickers in FL estimated that paying the pickers more would only increase retail value by a few cents. I can live with a few less tomatos in my life. Really, I can grow my own.

Dixie

Originally Posted by USPatriot

I agree this guy is just making a political statement to gain support for workers we do NOT need.

My local news says local small time family owned vegetable growers who sell at farmers markets is the coming trend.

I see it happening here and other places and it makes more sense because the veggies will be fresher and no long haul diesel guzzling tractor trailers involved.

Our prison population could and should be used for picking crops. What a waste to not tap into this hugh workforce and the prisoners could pay for their own incarceration instead of the tax-payers.

Actually, Colorado is using non-violent prisoners who volunteer to do the work. The money is set aside for them when they are released. So this is a bogus argument. I say hey go to another product and get rid of the illegal labor.

OH YES, we did have a legal guest worker program called the Bracero program that Ted Kennedy killed. Give him a call. The vineyard owners and workers I know, use the H-2B visas with NO problem.

Though Eckel's tomato pickers made an average of $16.59 per hour last year, he said the relatively high wage is not enough to attract local labor to work the fields.

LIES, LIES AND MORE LIES! LIES, LIES AND MORE LIES! LIES, LIES AND MORE LIES! LIES, LIES AND MORE LIES!

loservillelabor wrote:

I don't get it.
If this guy wanted to grow tomatoes and had no land, would the government be expected to supply it? If he had a sawmill and all the trees are gone, does the government bring him trees? Why do I have to live in a barrio for business to do business? Why do we have to keep growing unchecked? What about quality of life?

Excellent points! It's not the federal governments responsibility to provide labor for private industry.