so...ag businesses are completely ignoring US labor laws? You wouldn't know it by reading this incredibly biased article, making them out as victims..

While we send the illegal aliens home then we can have those on food stamps/welfare along with inmates work in the fields.

I just solved the problem.

You can say, Thank You.

Guest worker program. Don't bring your wife and six kids.

If we actually do run out of farm workers, we can always institute a "guest worker" program. Let people apply, have background checks, know they're being transported and housed safely, etc. However, with demands for growing minimum wages and increased taxes and fees and regulations, we'll wind up with higher food prices. TANSTAAFL

Wages need to go up.
Problem solved.

Uh oh, businesses will need to increase wages to attract workers! The horror...

...which would also mean higher prices for food. And don't believe the "It's only a nickle" nonsense... labor is a HUGE component. Especially here in California, where going from under-the-table cash to illegals is replaced with over-the-table minimum wage... along with a host of taxes and expenses like workers comp, payroll taxes, etc.

It isn't a zero-sum game.

You're seriously advocating for an unregulated black market in agricultural labor because it's so much more efficient?

Oh well, let's extend that to other essential services then. Maybe we can start with healthcare because unlicensed doctors are so much cheaper esp. if we skip their payroll taxes, workers comp. etc.

So prices go up.
So what's the problem ??
I don't see one.

BINGO

I believe Trump's policies are targeting criminal illegal aliens, meaning those who have proven to be a menace to society by committing crimes against lawful US citizens. Thirty four percent of persons sentenced to prison in 2014 were in the country illegally. Assuming the absence of a crop management chain gang program, why would anyone oppose the forceful repatriation of these criminal aliens back to their country of origin?

Nope
Even the so called non criminal illegal aliens will be part of the round up.
GO TRUMP.

“I don’t see a lot of legal people coming here and working minimum wage sun up to sun down.” Maybe you can attract more workers if you pay more than minimum wage. Duh.

BINGO

The rule of law is such a bitc...h

Only if you are a liberal.

This argument sounds eerily similar to the argument Southern slave plantation owners made...

Exactly.

yeah .... they're happy as long they're paid enough and being taken care of.....

US businesses are not supposed to hire illegal aliens in the first place, so if they have been skirting the law I have zero sympathy for them. If that raises the price of strawberries and lettuce then so be it.

Everyone talks about California being such a tech mecca, yet the agriculture industry still relies on (illegal) manual labor. Mechanize that work! Problem solved.

The FACT that no one that works in the food industry business can really afford to live in the BAY AREA, perhaps that is why there is a labor shortage....
geez

It's okay. We're Americans, we don't care about unintended consequences; we just read the headline, punch our jingoist fist in the air, and declare victory.

Let's get them all out so we can celebrate, these King of the Hill buffoons will say.

By this time next year we'll be demonstrating in the streets over the fresh produce price hikes, because I can tell you with 100% certainty unemployed white working class Americans (i.e., Tiny Hands lovers) aren't getting in line for those Salinas valley produce-picking jobs.

“I don’t see a lot of legal people coming here and working minimum wage sun up to sun down.”

You don't say. But surely Drumpf will enact legislation that will require restaurants to hire "the best restaurant workers" and pay "the best wages ever."

For supposedly being Republican, this guy seems to be increasing government, not making it smaller.

I think we should force liberals with liberal arts degrees to get off of unemployment and pick produce. That will shut them up in a hurry.

Reality check.
Strawberry prices aren't going to stay high for long after the illegal aliens are gone.
Machines will pick the strawberries.
Problem solved.

Mexican don't want these jobs either. They make more money cutting your lawn.

Hardly....
I simply disagree that, as the executive order says, a more aggressive pursuit of criminal illegal alien felons and their ultimate deportation will result in a measurable reduction of available labor.

The article mentions it, but it's worth reiterating that there already is a program to bring migrant farm workers here legally: the H-2A visa. Essentially the farmers are complaining that following the law and employing people legally is "expensive and takes too long". Well too bad, every other employer has to follow the law, why should farmers have special dispensation to break the law?

I'm fine with paying more for strawberry.

and yet we will save money by not having to pay for their families food, education, housing and healthcare, Net benefit.

Buy stock in mechanized harvesting equipment.

I did.
Even better would to be getting into a Bay Area startup building such equipment.

The unspoken consequence here is that food prices will increase for the rest of the nation. We were very fortunate to have a group of hard working people willing to work for low wages in one of our core industries.

No, we are not fortunate have many people working for less than a decent living wage. That increases crime, increases the burden on a range of social services, drives up everyone's taxes, medical costs, insurance rates and more. It's a very bad thing.

The solution is simple: pay food workers a decent wage so they don't have to supplement that income through dubious means such as crime. Sure, food prices may rise a little but it's a win for all!

How about using prison inmates. We, the tax payers, are paying between $40k to $50k per inmate a year. They're getting free room and board, cable TV, 3 hot meals a day and free healthcare. Let them work for it. Also, run a data base of people collecting disability insurance and welfare. Round up the ones exploiting the system and put them to work. Let them pick our food since we're feeding them already.

There is nothing wrong with inmates doing this. Pay their debt to society. Give them credit for every day worked. Inmates do a number of jobs inside (maintenance) and outside (fire suppression). Let's do this!

I don’t see a lot of legal people coming here and working minimum wage sun up to sun down.

I think I found the problem -- pay more than minimum wage!

What do farmers expect to happen when there's an insufficient supply of, say, tomatoes? They expect the price to rise until the supply and demand match. Why would they not expect a similar dynamic with respect to supply and demand in labor?

Bob we are in California common since isn't that common here. Youre gonna give people a head ache making them use their brains!!

Pearl, I think this is what you meant to say:

"Bob, we are in California. Common sense isn't that common here. You're going to give people a headache by making them use their brains!"

You should learn how to speak and write proper English or go back to your country.

I'm not sure the point you're trying to make, but if you think a farmer is going to pay more than minimum wage for agriculture help then you better not complain when that product is priced accordingly.

My grandfather and I have been flower farmers in the peninsula since the 70's. Food may not draw equal as flowers when it comes to demands, but the labor and the workers are right there very similar.

All i'm trying to say is I don't want to hear the masses complain of outrageous prices for food when the request to pay these laborers more than minimum wage is being thought about.

well, thats my rant.

We end up paying anyway. If farmers don't pay their workers a decent wage, they have to sign up for every entitlement program out there. They commit crimes, drive uninsured and more. Why do you think our taxes are so astronomic?

And forget the nice friendly "farmer". The food industry is totally dominated by giant corporations.

Bob Richards will save face and say that he won't mind paying more for produce if it's picked by American workers, but we know full and well he'll be the first one out in the streets picketing Safeway when a head of lettuce costs $5 each and he can't understand why.

He's quoting economics theory from Wikipedia, but in practice he'll be the first one to whine like a little beeatch when the Garden Salad at Outback costs $29.95.

Careful what you wish for, Bob.

Want a good case in point? Google 'American Apparel'. They were proudly Made in the USA, paid living wages, American workers...we all know how that worked out (here, let me save you a Google search: it didn't).

Nope
If I can't afford to buy a pint of strawberries then well I don't buy.

Not exactly burdened by facts, are we?
Agricultural labor is about 10% of the retail cost of produce. One can triple the wage and raise the price of produce only by one-third or so.
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfor...

BINGO.

minimum wage increases to $15/hr will shut down ALL the restaurants long before the costs can get that high...

Then we cook our own food.