Specialty Crop Farmers Facing Worker Shortage Want More Federal Investment

Specialty crop farmers need the U.S. Department of Agriculture to spend $10 million to $20 million a year on each major crop to offset labor shortages, rising costs and cutbacks in subsidies in past years, farm industry leaders said Wednesday.Farmers told the House Agriculture Committee that the 2018 Farm Bill must include USDA programs and private sector investments focusing on improved technology and labor solutions.A shrinking labor supply from Mexico, rising labor costs, a difficult risk-management environment and funding cutbacks in the Farm Bill have worked against farmers, experts said.The industry has lost about 140,000 cheaper foreign workers over the last five years, causing labor costs to rise as much as $8,400 per acre, said Wonderful Citrus Vice President Paul Heller.