Help Solve the Agriculture Industry Crisis! Support AgJobs.

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Act Now to Support AgJOBS 2009!

Send a letter to Congress today urging them to pass AgJOBS 2009. Simply fill out the privacy-protected registration form below and then click the Take Action button to send this letter to your Member of Congress.

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I am deeply concerned that Congress is not acting fast enough to address our nation's farm labor shortage crisis.   We need a market-based solution for agriculture that ensures our farms have the workers they need and the expertise to harvest our food.

The one-size-fits-all approach of using E-Verify to confirm worker status is simply not the right solution for America's farms and ranches.  Over 80 percent of our nation's farm workforce is comprised of migrants.

Congress must act NOW or our farms could shut down from the loss of over a million experienced workers - with no one to take their place.

Without their hard work, there would be no one to harvest apples, oranges, or lettuce, tend to livestock, and maintain our dairy farms.  The agricultural industry would be left crippled without a workforce.  Farms and ranches across the country would go under.

And if we can't produce our own food, that means we will have to rely on imports from other countries, like China, Mexico, and Brazil.

If this crisis is not addressed today, farmers would not be the only ones affected.  All businesses that work with or depend on America's agriculture industry―whether they're distributors, transporters, grocery stores, restaurants, farm equipment suppliers, or other types of vendors-would take a direct hit.

We need to act now to secure our farms, our food safety and way of life. It's time we acknowledge how important these workers are in protecting our food supply.  Please do all that you can to help support America's food and economy.

Five Reasons AgJobs Needs Your Support Now.

AgJOBS Can Help Save American Farms.
(click for more)
- AgJOBS can help reduce the farm labor shortage that is threatening our nation's agriculture infrastructure. In 2006 and 2007, labor shortages and crop losses were reported from coast to coast due to the labor shortage. In 2008, Texas A&M reported that 77% of vegetable farmers reported scaling back operations. More than 80,000 acres of fresh produce that used to be grown in California have been moved to other countries. If the labor situation is not addressed by Congress, thousands of farms could fail and farm income could drop by $5 - $9 billion.
AgJOBS Can Help Save Three Million or More American Jobs. (click for more)

AgJOBS Can Help Guarantee the Quality and Safety of Our Food Supply.
(click for more)
- Without adequate farm labor, America will be forced to import a significant portion of our food supply from outside our borders. Between 1990 and 2006, fresh fruit and vegetable imports steadily took market share from U.S. producers. As a result, we will become more dependent on foreign nations for our health and well-being, beyond the watchful eye of our own federal health and safety regulations.
AgJOBS Can Solve the Farm Labor Crisis and Enhance Our Nation’s Border Security. (click for more)
- The agriculture industry depends on a foreign workforce to fulfill its labor needs. It's estimated that as much as 70 percent of the farm workforce is undocumented, but there is no easy way for employers to confirm documentation. AgJOBS will encourage legal work status in the U.S. by offering an opportunity to earn legal status to farm workers with a proven history of work and good behavior, if they are willing to meet strict conditions like paying fines and committing to future farm work. AgJOBS will also provide simplified labor applications and temporary worker permits to seasonal workers who will be able to enter, work, and return safely and legally. The H-2A process currently in place makes it extremely difficult, expensive, and time-consuming to recruit and retain farm workers. Reforming H-2A is the long-term solution to ensuring a stable, legal farm labor force. AgJOBS streamlines the H-2A process without sacrificing domestic security or labor protections for foreign workers.
AgJOBS is being Considered by Congress Now! You Can Make a Difference by Acting Today. (click for more)
- AgJOBS (S.1038 and H.R.2414) is a bipartisan, time-tested solution to the farm labor crisis. Farm labor shortages are nothing new--America has been facing them for years. AgJOBS reflects years of negotiations between employer and worker representatives on complex and divisive farm labor issues. It's a workable compromise between historic adversaries--and it should be supported by Congress. It's time for solutions, not more political gridlock that is bad for America.

Help Save U.S. Farms and the Security of Our Nation's Food Supply! Support AgJobs.

Act Now!

Act Now to Support AgJOBS 2009!

Five Reasons AgJobs Needs Your Support Now.

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