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Duvall urges White House to prioritize long-standing farm labor issues

The president of the American Farm Bureau Federation says he wants the Trump administration to tackle the on-going labor crisis.

Speaking with reporters last week, Zippy Duval says it’s been a problem for at least 30 years and has shared that concern with the administration recently. “Like I told the President, if he’d ask Congress to put something on his desk to fix this problem, it would give them the backing that they need to feel comfortable to get this done. I know there are lots of people on Capitol Hill that understand we have a very serious problem here.”

He says part of the solution includes finding a way to help undocumented workers stay in the U.S. without creating significant disruptions to the supply chain. “And, take that myth away that people think that Americans are going to do that work. They’re not. They’re just simply not. Then the programs we have, we have to advertise for the workers to come to work. Occasionally, you’ll have one or two but they won’t stay and do the work. They won’t last.”

Duvall says AFBF has launched a call to action, asking state delegations to engage with their lawmakers to prioritize the effort.