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.