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AGprofessional: Commentary: Next few weeks key for immigration, farm bills

Commentary: Next few weeks key for immigration, farm bills

Rayne Pegg, California Farm Bureau Federation

Editor’s Note: The following commentary was written by Rayne Pegg. Pegg manages the California Farm Bureau Federation Federal Policy Devision. It was originally featured on the AgAlert newsletter.

Washington D.C. Reuters In four congressional hearing rooms on Capitol Hill this week, House and Senate committees debate two legislative packages that could affect farmers and ranchers for years to come.

In the Dirksen Senate Office Building, the Judiciary Committee continues its discussion of a comprehensive immigration-reform package. In the Rayburn House Office Building, a subcommittee holds hearings on an agricultural guestworker proposal and other aspects of immigration reform. Meanwhile, in the Longworth House Office Building, the Agriculture Committee begins its markup of the 2013 Farm Bill, while in the Russell Senate Office Building, the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry committee works on the Senate version of the bill.

Both immigration reform and the farm bill could be headed to important votes next month and Farm Bureau will be encouraging members to engage their representatives, urging them to act.

Immigration reform affects virtually any farmer or rancher who hires people for their operation, because agricultural jobs are filled mainly by immigrants. For years, farmers and their employees have been working under a broken system. The next few months provide the only chance in many years to change that system for the better.

Senators proposed approximately 300 amendments to the immigration bill that is up for consideration in the Judiciary Committee. Farm Bureau and the Agricultural Workforce Coalition, a group that includes both the California Farm Bureau and the American Farm Bureau plus many other organizations, have been reviewing each of those amendments.

The Senate bill provides tougher border security, addresses improperly documented workers who are currently in the U.S. and creates a visa program to allow for the future flow of workers.

Many people wonder why we should allow people currently working in agriculture, who may not be here legally, to continue to work in agriculture. Sending roughly 1.3 million agricultural workers back to their home countries is not realistic and will only lead to labor supply shortages in farming. The bill proposes identifying these individuals, having them go through a background check to determine if they should remain in the country, and paying a fine.

Agricultural organizations and farmworker advocates negotiated for months before arriving at an agreement that is generally reflected in the Senate immigration-reform legislation. It’s not perfect and there are some components that quite frankly agricultural groups wanted to be less restrictive on employers, but a compromise means not all sides get what they want. The United Farm Workers wanted higher wages and a smaller cap and farm groups wanted lower base wages and a higher cap. We met in the middle.

Dozens of California agricultural organizations signed a joint letter that urged our state’s members of Congress to include the agricultural agreement in the immigration package moving through the House. Farms and ranches have unique labor and immigration needs, and the agreement helps meet those needs.

Some people make the argument that an agricultural worker program will take away jobs from domestic workers. Farmers have repeatedly tried to hire domestic employees to work, with no success. However, this is a broader issue that Congress needs to address. What types of jobs do we need to reduce the number of unemployed? Rural America has changed and we may be facing different challenges to getting people back to work. Not everyone is college bound; what job opportunities are we creating for them? Are we investing in our education system to create a workforce who can work in the high-tech field versus relying on foreign workers?

The next month will determine how the immigration bill takes shape. A bill that can get through both houses to reach the president’s desk will have to be bipartisan.

The farm bill presents its own set of challenges.

You may recall that the 2008 Farm Bill expired last year, and that Congress ultimately voted to extend it through this September.

Those of us who advocate on behalf of California farmers and ranchers will be focusing on a number of different provisions, as Congress tries again this year to finalize a new, five-year bill. Among key programs are those that form partnerships with farmers and ranchers to enhance the environment, and those that protect crops and livestock from invasive pests and diseases.

For example, the new farm bill must include programs to help farmers and ranchers implement projects to meet federal, state and local air-quality regulations. The farm bill must allow managed grazing once a year on Conservation Reserve Program land, in accordance with a conservation plan. It’s crucial that the bill assure funding for the National Animal Health Laboratory Network and for plant pest and disease prevention programs.

We also support continued funding for specialty crop block grants and research; elimination of the adjusted gross income requirement for conservation programs; and elimination of the dairy price support program and the Milk Income Loss Contract program, in favor of programs that offer a voluntary gross margin insurance program for dairy farmers.

You can be sure that Farm Bureau will be watching both the farm bill and immigration reform carefully, as Congress considers both issues. If you’re a member of Farm Team, watch for alerts in coming weeks that highlight key aspects of each bill and your opportunities to contact your representatives. If you haven’t yet signed up for Farm Team, now is a good time; just go to the Farm Bureau website at www.cfbf.com and click on the Farm Team icon.

After working on both bills during May, Congress will go into recess at the end of the month, with members returning to their districts during the week after Memorial Day. The recess will provide a crucial opportunity for farmers and ranchers to meet with their representatives and urge meaningful action on both immigration reform and the farm bill.

For most farmers and ranchers, this is a busy time of year. I know it takes time out of your day to send a message to your representative or participate in a meeting with an elected official. But immigration reform and the farm bill could each have long-term impacts on your farms and ranches. To be certain that both measures meet the needs of California farmers and ranchers, stay involved and engaged during what’s likely to be an eventful spring and summer.