tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post6867959089229239246..comments2024-03-28T02:29:13.507-07:00Comments on Legal Ruralism: Be careful what you wish forLisa R. Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16469550950363542801noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-33928263762888643192011-10-26T09:10:05.099-07:002011-10-26T09:10:05.099-07:00I was very happy to see a post about this Daily Sh...I was very happy to see a post about this Daily Show episode. I also saw the episode and the interview with the Georgia blackberry farmer. I was not shocked to hear what the farmer said. While it does seem strange that so many unemployed workers are leaving farm jobs unspoken for in the current economy, the debate over immigrant farm labor has continuously echoed the sentiment that Americans are not willing to do farm work. We are now seeing this sentiment manifested in the most obvious way. <br /><br />Maybe one way to elevate farm work in the minds of Americans is to add more agricultural curriculum into schools. More pervasive agricultural education may change Americans’ minds about agriculture, the role it plays in our lives, and the value of working in the agricultural field. With declining school budgets, though, such a shift may not be realistic and the changes would be long term when we need a rapid change in attitudes.KBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14517191832417555528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-10879219615383715492011-10-13T13:33:51.552-07:002011-10-13T13:33:51.552-07:00One reason why immigrants are willing to do farm l...One reason why immigrants are willing to do farm labor is because they are sending (at least some of) their wages to countries with a much lower cost of living. It's almost like we've outsourced our farm work. The difference is that instead of sending equipment overseas to take advantage of lower cost-of-living rates, the workers come here and send the fruit of their labors back.Scarecrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02175915711253730674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-81920269036114756972011-10-12T12:34:33.887-07:002011-10-12T12:34:33.887-07:00Farming is a very hard job. Harvest season is the ...Farming is a very hard job. Harvest season is the worst time of the year. We have to be in the field by 6 a.m. and work until 1 or 2 p.m. I wear gloves and long sleeves so the peach fuzz does not get on my skin. At least where I'm from, it is very hot during harvest. Temperatures can get to be in the 90-100's. I will say that harvesting produce is not a skill. However, it is something that requires a lot of hard work for a small pay check. <br /><br />Even though the post is about Georgia, in California there was a shortage when we harvested our peaches. We had to hold off on our harvest for a couple days because there was no labor. I feel the blackberry farmer's pain because the entire year's salary is dependent upon one harvest. If there is no labor to harvest the crops, then it's just a bad situation for everyone.princesspeachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06812874736023254802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-60353970194376943042011-10-11T23:20:49.105-07:002011-10-11T23:20:49.105-07:00I read the post in the NY Times the same day as I ...I read the post in the NY Times the same day as I read this post and it made me realize that Americans, especially in our generation, have not been brought up to do the hard work farming requires. While it seems as if we need foreign workers to do this work, the work conditions (hrs, pay etc.) at many--if not most--farms must be improved.Namorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09284136143926208851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-76869978468769247572011-10-11T21:02:58.904-07:002011-10-11T21:02:58.904-07:00I think one of the reasons why American citizens a...I think one of the reasons why American citizens are unwilling to do the harvest work that is apparently just waiting to be performed is the insecurity that comes with those positions. Sure, the jobs offer the benefit of a paycheck; but for how long? <br /><br />And even if the paycheck is enough of an incentive, surely some cost/benefit analysis has to take place. Someone who has no experience whatsoever in the fields would have to think about what might happen to them if they get injured and don't have worker's compensation to fall back on. Is the few months worth of meager paychecks really worth the risk that you might injure yourself and make it harder to get another job in the future?<br /><br />I think the problem is that to entice American citizens back to the farm to perform this type of work would require more of an investment than farmers can afford to make. Providing a sufficient wage and benefits package to make harvesting a viable job for the average American would probably eliminate any profit that might otherwise be realized. Unless everyone is willing to pay a higher price for their produce (not likely in a down economy), I don't think seasonal harvest work is going to catch on with most unemployed Americans anytime soon.KevinNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12817001832545833235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-52395503340389975462011-10-10T22:51:45.333-07:002011-10-10T22:51:45.333-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.KBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14517191832417555528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-2289140330517704592011-10-05T21:37:11.159-07:002011-10-05T21:37:11.159-07:00Patricija, you are perhaps prescient in your post....Patricija, you are perhaps prescient in your post. This story was in today's New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/05/us/farmers-strain-to-hire-american-workers-in-place-of-migrant-labor.html?_r=1&src=rechp<br /><br />The headline is "Hiring Locally for Farm Work is no Cure All." The alternative headline is "Farmers Strain to Hire American Workers in Place of Migrant Labor." Of course, we also saw this theme in "Morristown: In the Air and Sun."Lisa R. Pruitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16469550950363542801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-12932437817262899682011-10-05T12:43:51.999-07:002011-10-05T12:43:51.999-07:00It is incredibly shocking that there is such a lab...It is incredibly shocking that there is such a labor shortage in these areas. Although farm work is undeniably a skill, it seems like a skill that could be learned. Perhaps you are right that many believe farm to be below them. A very different scenario from the 1930s, when my grandmother and her family crammed into a truck to move from Kansas to California, just to work in the farms here!<br /><br />I also thought it was interesting that one of the first people arrested under Alabama's new immigration law turned out to be in the country legally: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/05/mohamed-ali-muflahi-alabama-immigration_n_996101.html!JLShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00483353744677142000noreply@blogger.com