As the debate continues over whether or not to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, immigration is also a major issue for Pennsylvania farmers.
Pa. Farm Bureau spokesman Mark O’Neill says an adequate legal workforce is important to Pennsylvania farmers who depend on foreign workers.
“You have to ask yourself- Do you want food that’s grown in another country that transported here and sold for purchase, or do you want food grown here, picked by foreign workers, but still grown in America?” O’Neill said. “The food grown in America doesn’t have to travel as far, it’s fresher, and the price is lower.”
O’Neill says PA farmers use a lot of foreign workers in orchards and would like to use more on dairy and mushroom farms. And, he says the bureau would like to see foreign workers be allowed to stay in the state longer.
O’Neill says consumers benefit from PA farmers use of foreign workers in terms of lower prices and fresher food.
