Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/50994
Jim Hazen, Broetje Orchards Prescott, Washington Rod Farrow, Lamont Fruit Farms Albion, New York Hazen said that Broetje Orchards is investigating a partnership with World Relief, an international organiza- tion that works with refugee communities. Such refugees are already authorized to enter the United States, he explained, but typically the refugees settle in urban areas near services that help in relocation and finding work. "For us, the limiting factor is having enough housing to bring in a whole refugee community." No options Rod Farrow, Lamont Fruit Farms Albion, New York Most apple growers in western New York are using H- 2A workers from Mexico and Jamaica, reports Rod Far- row. He estimated that 60 to 70 percent of the region's growers use H-2A workers and that local growers who don't were two weeks behind all season long. While the H-2A program allows him to sleep at night knowing that a crew will be there in the morning, the program is a nightmare to work with, he said. "The most annoying thing is that the Obama adminis- tration is completely anti-H-2A and anti-business," he said. "This administration is making the program so difficult to use." But with no other options to ensure he has a legal work force, Farrow does not expect to make any changes in the coming year and will continue using the guest-worker program. He is a founding member of USA Farmers, an H-2A grower-led organization whose mission is to make the H-2A program affordable and workable. Pay more Keith Oliver, manager, Olsen Brothers Farms Prosser, Washington Olsen Brothers, a diversified family farm producing apples, cherries, blueberries, grapes, and hops, had enough workers in 2011, said Keith Oliver, but their com- modity mix allows the company to move workers from crop to crop and offer longer terms of employment than some smaller growers. He said that they paid a retention bonus for staying through the season (50 cents per hour) as incentive to keep a steady work crew. "I saw signs posted by smaller growers in the area advertising for workers," he said, adding that when Olsen Brothers had a gap between crops, workers left. Oliver is apprehensive about next year because they have additional acreage coming into production that will require more workers. "My knee-jerk reaction of what changes we might make next season will be to pay more and outcompete our neighbors." www.goodfruit.com Keith Oliver, Olsen Brothers Farms, Prosser, Washington No changes Mike Wittenbach, Wittenbach Orchards Belding, Michigan Mike Wittenbach, who farms more than 200 acres of fresh-market apples with his father, reports that last year's labor supply in Michigan was fine, with few growers expe- riencing shortages. He has good retention of returning workers and only hired two new ones in 2011. "None of my neighbors were complaining about shortages, but I know of one grower in the Hart-Shelby area that was looking for more." He adds that most Michigan growers provide housing for their seasonal workers, and he has opened his housing to families as a way to attract more workers. "Some don't allow families in their houses, but I believe it gives me a more stable work force. I have to house more people that way, but I have the same ones returning year after year." Wittenbach doesn't anticipate making any employment changes in the coming year. More housing Scott McDougall, McDougall and Sons Wenatchee, Washington Scott McDougall plans to construct housing providing an additional 60 beds for his 2012 work force, which will bring the total bed number to 360 and allow the company to contract for another 60 H-2A workers. For harvest last year, they used 240 H-2A workers and hired 60 domestic workers. Housing is not cheap, but McDougall said it's neces- sary in order to participate in the H-2A program. He estimated that each bed costs about $12,000. "The only way that a farmer can get his crop off right now is with a workable H-2A program," he said, but added that the guest-worker program is not easy to com- ply with and every year brings regulatory changes. "The regulations from the Obama Administration have been the worst, especially with the adverse effect wage rate that we pay to the H-2A workers jumping by $2 an hour in one year." (The adverse effect wage rate is determined annu- ally by the U.S. Department of Labor and is meant to be higher than prevailing rates to discourage the hiring of foreign workers.) While he hopes a more workable guest-worker pro- gram can be developed in the future, he sees no way to get around housing. McDougall and Sons made national news last Novem- ber when they hired prisoners for two weeks to finish harvest after their H-2A workers had to return home. • Scott McDougall, McDougall & Sons, Wenatchee, Washington G MECHANIZATION WON'T BE a silver bullet rowers say mechanization of growing prac- tices might ease labor shortages but are unlikely to solve them. John Lott, a grower in Aspers, Pennsylvania, said his family purchased three mechanical string thinners to reduce the labor needs and costs of thinning stone fruit and apples. However, he does- n't believe technology will be the silver bullet for tree fruit, especially for their operation because of their rolling hills and space between trees. "Our orchard environment just doesn't work well for things like platforms and harvesting aids," he said. "I've dabbled around with platforms, but to really get serious, we need flatter ground and more acreage." Jim Hazen, general manager at Broetje Orchards in Washington State, believes technology will improve orchard efficiencies, but not all of their orchard sites are conducive to machines. "When we plant new orchards, we are putting in trellis systems for fruiting walls and training systems that will accommodate technology like platforms. But technology will only reduce the number of workers needed, not replace them." Scott McDougall at McDougall and Sons, Wenatchee, Washington, is hopeful picker-assist machines will soon be available, eliminating lad- ders and bags to make harvest more attractive to a wider population base. His company already uses platforms for most of their orchard tasks. Mike Wade, manager of Columbia Fruit Pack- ers, Inc., Wenatchee, thinks mechanization will play a significant role in addressing future labor shortages, though he doesn't expect to see robotics in orchards during his career. "I think mechanization is going to make people more efficient," he said. "All of our newer plantings are being set up in anticipation of some sort of assisted types of machines, trying to make everything no more than an arm's length away." Wade said his company has been able to mini- mize its work force by planting different varieties in various locations so that workers can be employed over a longer period of time. —G. Warner GOOD FRUIT GROWER JANUARY 1, 2012 21