TIME.COM : Georgia's new immigration law is forcing farmers to eschew labor-intensive crops such as blackberries for wheat and corn, which can be harvested by machine. Certain crops, like lettuce, will be increasingly sourced not from leading U.S. producers like Yuma, Arizona, but Mexico

.

The labor shortage could result in as much as $9 billion in lost farm production annually says Paul Schlegel, director of public policy at the American Farm Bureau Federation, in Washington.

TIME.COM
Convicts or Illegals: Georgia Hunts for Farmworkers As Tough Immigration Law Takes Hold
By Steven Gray
Sunday, June 26, 2011


Convicts or Illegals: Georgia Hunts for Farmworkers As Tough Immigration Law Takes Hold


Some excerpts :

To understand what's at stake for business, consider Paulk's situation. In recent weeks, one-third of his 300 field workers have fled. His request for state temporary workers hasn't been answered. Now, Paulk expects to abandon about 25% of his 125 acres, at a projected loss of $250,000 this season. To lure workers, he has raised the price he pays for every box of blackberry picked by about 15%, to $3.50. But he hasn't been able to pass that higher cost onto suppliers. There are few places to shave costs, either: blackberry picking is typically done by hand. "We've gone into survival mode," he says (See photos from the Arizona/Mexico border.)

The labor shortage may drive up food costs, especially for peaches, onions and chicken, which Georgia produces in abundance. There is anecdotal evidence that states' new immigration policies is forcing farmers to eschew labor-intensive crops such as blackberries for wheat and corn, which can be harvested by machine. Certain crops, like lettuce, will be increasingly sourced not from leading U.S. producers like Yuma, Ariz., but Mexico. The labor shortage could result in as much as $9 billion in lost farm production annually. "This is the magnitude of the risk to the sector, if we can't get the labor we need," says Paul Schlegel, director of public policy at the American Farm Bureau Federation, in Washington. "It's an extremely important issue."

Such exclusive policies may have long-term negative consequences, especially for Republicans, given the South's shifting demographics. In the last decade, Georgia's Latino population has more than doubled to 800,000 — but of course, that isn't a complete count. Latinos account for about 6.8% of the state's eligible voters, and that will only grow in the coming years. Here's why: Deal's former Congressional district includes the city of Dalton (pop. 33,604), the world's carpet capital, whose public school system is now 68% Latino. (See "A Phony War on Deportation?")

The law is already putting historically-business minded Republicans in a bind. Paulk, for instance, chaired Deal's gubernatorial campaign effort in Irwin County, in Southeast Georgia. He overlooked Deal's backing of the law. "It's appalling, because they didn't think through the implications, at the farm level," he says. "It's like a witch hunt that tells immigrants: 'we want you gone.'"

.