Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/50994
Labor What changes will you make in 2012? M any growers, particularly on the West Coast, didn't have enough workers to pick their fruit last fall. The new year has just begun, but already fears are surfacing about not finding enough workers for the next harvest. Good Fruit Grower asked orchardists across the country about their work Growers express frustration about the limited options they have to find enough workers. by Melissa Hansen force plans for the coming year. Contingency plans John Lott, Bear Mountain Orchard Aspers, Pennsylvania Grower-packer John Lott said his fam- The Lotts provide free housing for their workers, as "Migrant workers avoided Georgia ily-run business, which produces apples, peaches, nectarines, cherries, and pears on about 1,000 acres, had just enough labor to pick the crop. But he believes their short crop, which was off by about 20 per- cent, partly because of 40 inches of rain in September and an early snow in October, made a difference in their labor needs. "If it had been a normal crop, we probably would have experienced a crop loss of up to 10 percent because of a labor shortage." They had a contingency plan in place in case they were short of work- ers, but didn't have to implement it. The plan prioritized which apple blocks would be picked first. Lott initially thought the immigration legislation enacted in Georgia last year would have a positive effect on their labor pool because Georgia workers would relocate to neighboring states. "But now I think it was a negative," he said. "Migrant workers avoided Georgia and did- n't move up the coast to Pennsylvania. I don't see as many bodies out there as I used to." He also noticed fewer workers in their packing house. "I don't see any changes occurring in the coming year that will improve the labor out- look," Lott said, but he's not ready yet to make major changes within their operation, like using H-2A workers, as it's difficult for employers in Pennsylvania to become certified for the H-2A guest-worker program. But he might consider the H-2B temporary-worker program for packing house employees. PRISON WORKER EXPERIENCE was positive approaching, he was desperate. Last October, Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire, already alerted by state H horticultural leaders of a labor shortage that was causing growers to abandon fruit-laden orchards, announced she would allow low-security-risk prisoners to pick the state's apple crop. However, growers using the prisoners would have to bear the full costs (housing, security, and such), with no taxpayer money spent. At $22 per hour, few growers were interested. McDougall and Sons, a Wenatchee-based grower-packer, took the prisoner offer. The company had already received a week's extension for their H-2A temporary work- ers, but once the H-2A workers left in late October, their work force dropped from 240 to 50, with some high-value Jazz apples still on the trees. "It was a desperation act," McDougall said, adding that he knew they had about a week left of harvest but not enough workers to get the crop off before winter weather set in. 20 JANUARY 1, 2012 GOOD FRUIT GROWER iring prisoners to pick the tail end of their apple crop was a "last ditch" effort, but Scott McDougall believes it paid off. With 8,000 bins of an exclusive club variety left to pick, only 50 workers left in his harvest crews, and winter weather fast McDougall estimated that the prisoner work force cost $50 to $53 per bin in harvest costs. "We would have had to pay around $25 per bin to attract workers from other growers, so it ended up costing an extra $30 per bin. But the apples were worth about $300 a bin. "It wouldn't be something we would do with a normal-valued variety, but for that type of crop, it was worth it." The prisoners were first set up in tents and then moved into housing provided by McDougall. He said the security and administrative aspects of hiring the prisoners were handled well. By the end of the week, some of the prisoners were actually getting efficient at picking, he said. The 97 prisoners they employed remained on the job through the end, even with rain delays, so he didn't have to worry about finding new workers each day. "This was definitely not a permanent solution, but for our predicament, it worked well," he said. "For what we needed and the weather that was forecast, it worked." —M. Hansen www.goodfruit.com well as transportation into town, if needed. Lott said they've always had enough labor in the past and hopes that the housing will continue to attract workers. "But we will put together a contingency plan for next season just in case." Refugee partnership and didn't move up the coast to Pennsylvania." —John Lott Jim Hazen, general manager, Broetje Orchards, Prescott, Washington Jim Hazen of Broetje Orchards reports they were short of harvest workers by the first of September. "We had a shorter crop than normal and got by with 150 to 200 fewer workers, but if the crop had been longer, especially statewide, it would have been a different story. Labor was a worry from the get go." Broetje Orchards is a unique tree fruit grower-packer that provides a multitude of services to its work force, including affordable rental housing, on-site childcare and elementary education, outreach to at-risk youth, and assistance for first-time homeowners. As a company, Broetje has been working the last two years to develop a plan for the future that addresses their labor needs, Hazen said. Although they are considering the H-2A guest-worker program as a stopgap measure, he believes that even improvements to the program won't solve agriculture's need for seasonal workers. "Turning over our labor pool to the government bureaucracy through the H-2A pro- gram is a terrible position to put us in. It's such a difficult program, and it shouldn't be viewed as a viable long-term vehicle for agriculture."