In Northboro, Mass. farmers urge solutions for guest workers, import prices, harvest protection
By
Elaine Thompson
Telegram & Gazette Staff
Posted Aug 31, 2017 at 10:49 AM
Updated Aug 31, 2017 at 11:38 PM
NORTHBORO – U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny
Perdue told area farmers Thursday that he’s quite impressed with the way
farming is done in Massachusetts. He vowed to take their concerns and
suggestions back to Washington to help in developing the next Farm Bill.
“I
believe you are on the cutting edge of farming that is direct from
producer to consumer, and the public is demanding more of that,” the
former Georgia governor told farmers at the home of Edward Davidian,
president of the Massachusetts Farm Bureau.
The
meeting was part of the USDA chief’s “Back to Roots Farm Listening
Tour” to get input from farmers across the country on suggested
improvements to the Farm Bill. The multiyear law, passed by Congress
about every five years, regulates agricultural and food policies.
Mr.
Davidian, who is co-owner of the 250-acre Davidian Bros. Farm, told the
secretary that unlike some other parts of the country, where farms can
be thousands of acres, the average farm size in this state is just 68
acres. But Massachusetts ranks third nationally in farmland value, at
$10,340 per acre.
“Our farmers must be
efficient, creative and good business people to make a profit with such
high land prices,” he said. “We do it well here.”
One
concern expressed by several farmers was the H-2A program, which allows
seasonal agricultural workers to come to this country. Some said the
program is way too cumbersome and costly.
Edwin
Matuszko, who owns Twin Oaks Farm in Hadley, said he has about seven
workers from Central America. But for the past few years, the workers
have become less interested in coming here to work because of the
immigraton issue. His wife, Linda Kingsley, said farmers have to pay for
the workers’ transportation to this country and provide them with
housing.
Mr. Matuszko said he has an agriculture
restriction on his land so he is required to continue being a productive
farmer. He cannot use the land for other purposes. He asked Mr. Perdue
to work quickly to resolve the issue surrounding the special worker
visa.
“Labor is a huge issue. We’re going
to need an answer for the guest worker program in four to five months,
not in two to three years,” he told Mr. Perdue. “There needs to be a
relationship between the USDA and the state so people can get some kind
of help. Please work on it.”
Mr. Perdue
said he thinks the mentality in Washigton is that “if you just paid
American workers enough, they’d be happy to harvest these crops. That
isn’t true.” He said fewer Americans than in the past are willing to
take farm labor jobs.
Another farmer said a
regulation that requires housing to be at least 500 feet from where
livestock are kept is also unrealistic in New England. He said because
of the harsh winters, barns have been connected to homes so when it’s
time to milk cows, people don’t have to trudge through the snow.
Several farmers asked for more funding for
agricultural research. Others said improvements need to be made to the
Margin Protection plan, which provides coverage against unexpected
operating margin decreases based on the average for a particular area.
Darryl
Williams, a dairy farmer from Hatfield and chairman of the
Massachusetts Farm Bureau’s dairy committee, said there were high hopes
when the plan began. He said the first year, dairy farmers across the
country paid $70 million into the plan. He said all the farmers should
have gotten some money to help them out becase of low milk prices. But
only $7,000 in total was paid out. Mr. Williams said he paid $5,000 that
year and received nothing back.
“That’s one of the improvements that can be made,” he said.
Mr. Perdue said he expects that is one area where a major correction will be made.
Other
farmers asked for more funding for programs that help low-income
people, including the Farmers Market Nutrition Program, which is
associated with the special supplemental nutrition program for women,
infants and children and the Food Insecurity food and nutrition programs
that help the elderly. Mr. Davidian pointed out that a program in the
state provided $1.2 million this year for local food banks to purchase
locally-grown products to be distributed to people in inner cities
through the food bank system. He said he would like to see the new Farm
Bill include money to enhance this type of program.
Mr.
Davidian also spoke about the North American Free Trade Agreement,
calling it “a pet peeve” of his since its inception. He said that
because of NAFTA, it’s difficult for American farmers, particularly in
the Northeast, to compete with the prices of fresh fruits and vegetables
imported from south of the border and Canada. President Trump has
threatened to withdraw from the trade agreement.
“If you’re going to look at it or redo NAFTA, please don’t make it worse,” Mr. Davidian asked.
I know Mr. Davivian. He is a good guy. What he said was true. Most of the big farms Bart and I go to, use Jamaicans' for labor. These people will work harder than anyone I know, It is never too hot, too cold, or wet, to get the job done. These guys know their jobs, and you can trust the with your life. It cost a lot for their labor, but in the end they are worth it. These guys will earn enough to support their families for the year, when they go home. Without them nothing will get picked, no work will be done, so your prices will go up for what little is for sale.
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