Farmers and ranchers have been sounding the alarm over ag labor for years. Now, one farm group says it is optimistic that the new administration will tackle the problem.
“Whether it’s tax, farm bill, you name it, you know, sometimes you have some outliers. In the case of labor, 100 percent of American agriculture here is behind us to try and get this problem fixed. You know, we have a new Congress, a new President coming in, and I think there’s going to be a case to make a strong, if you want to be for the farmer, want to be for the rancher, this is what you’ve got to do, and that’s the source of my optimism,” said Chuck Conner.
President-Elect Trump made illegal immigration a centerpiece in his campaign. However, some worry his plan to deal with it could come at a cost to the ag industry. Earlier this week, he said he will consider using military force to carry out mass deportations. USDA numbers show more than a third of all hired farm help in the United States is made up by illegal immigrants.
