Agribusiness Labor; an Important Hurdle to Growing Georgia’s Economy

Published 12:09 am Sunday, February 13, 2011

Georgia’s successful and diverse $68.8 billion agricultural economy has enormous potential to grow with the exportation of crops, livestock and other products as the port of Savannah expands. This growth will only occur, however, if there are workers to bring it to market.

Agriculture is Georgia’s largest industry and first industry, with a rich history in the state’s economy. Its future holds even more promise: Production capacity has never been stronger, thanks to science, technology, education and favorable market prices. Rural counties stand to benefit most: Two thirds of Georgia’s counties rank agriculture as their largest or second largest segment of goods produced.

Farm jobs are important: They generate tens of thousands of additional jobs in communities across the state. Ginners, processors, fertilizer and chemical dealers, dairy operations, forest management, packing sheds, equipment dealers, farmers markets and many more such agribusinesses that created 383,000 jobs in 2009.

Georgia growers need an estimated 87,000 workers during peak seasons and these workers can be very hard to find. Most of these seasonal workers earn between $7.25 and $9 per hour. Federal law requires employers to verify their new hires are legally in this country by completing Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9. This form requires the employee to produce identification that verifies citizenship, permanent residency or employment authorization. Having enough workers that meet this rigorous threshold can prove to be a challenge for rural businesses at critical periods throughout the year.

Surviving in this economic climate is a challenge for businesses, and a new state proposal mandating use of the E-verify program would make it even tougher. This federal electronic verification system runs job applicants through a database to determine worker eligibility. Forcing farmers and other business interests to utilize E-Verify puts another layer of government on an already challenged workforce where the getting-your-hands-dirty jobs are already hard to fill. While Georgia has a 10 percent unemployment rate, agribusiness across this state are welcoming the opportunity to add workers every day yet they still go unfilled because many are not willing to accept these jobs.

Through a federal program called H-2A, farmers may access a workforce if they can afford the cost, paperwork and bureaucratic red tape. The H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers program comes with a myriad of federal requirements, including a minimum wage of $9.11 per hour and free housing, along with a host of other fees and expenses until the work season ends. Because it is costly and complicated, just 20 farmers in Georgia use the program, employing about 7,000 foreign workers, or 8 percent of the workers needed. Until this inflexible and expensive program is streamlined for the modern market and Georgia’s growing role in the global economy, private sector employers will continue to wrestle with having the workers they need.

Any new mandates by state government will hurt Georgia’s rural communities and our state economy. Such efforts will not make for a stronger Georgia, just a more regulated one. If Georgia policy-makers want true immigration reform with greater accountability for foreign nationals, they should encourage the federal government to evaluate existing programs, then adapt them to accommodate the state’s needs.

Georgia’s ships will indeed come in, but decisions by legislators could soon determine whether these boats will serve to export our home-grown products to world markets or if they will instead serve as vessels importing the goods our displaced farms and agribusinesses can no longer deliver.

More information on the Georgia Agribusiness Council can be obtained by visiting www.ga-agribusiness.org.