Amid droughts, a federal crackdown on immigrant labor and uncertain crop prices, Missouri farmers are seeking solutions.
On Wednesday, local farmers attended a workshop sponsored by Missouri Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education with speakers giving advice on how to handle labor shortages, time management efficiency and funding opportunities.
Presented by the University of Missouri and Lincoln University Cooperative Extension, the workshop offered ways to combat the ongoing labor crisis through visa programs and outsourcing companies. MU Extension Assistant Professor Ryan Milhollin said because so many farm laborers come from outside the U.S., immigration policies can significantly affect available labor.
“Farms really depend on really good, dependable, productive labor,” Milhollin said. “So I think immigration policy going forward is going to play a really critical role in trying to make sure that we keep our farms staffed and productive and effective for the long term."
The workshop was hosted at Moniteau County's Happy Hollow Farm, where owner Liz Graznak said that despite using the H-2A visa program for years, this year she’s had to submit the application six times. The employee she is trying to hire was needed in October and is only just arriving in March.
“Small farming is a really, really tough way to make a living,” Graznak said. “And with the challenges of labor getting harder and harder and harder to find and keep good workers, it is the reason that farms are folding and can't continue to exist. And we need farms. We need the food that we grow."
Despite the Trump administration’s recent crackdown on immigration enforcement, labor issues have affected farms for years. Local grower Charles Hunter said labor shortages will continue to weigh heavily on local farms.
“Farmers and ranchers have tried to adjust their practices to try to address [labor shortages] but I think that we don't have all the answers for that yet,” Hunter said. “It will probably continue to put pressure both on the farm as well as on the price for consumers.”
The workshop also discussed ways to ensure efficient time management and money-saving practices, such as keeping spaces clean, organizing tools and providing detailed instruction for employees so owners can maximize their work.
Milhollin said he hopes workshop attendees walk away with tools that help secure profit and ability.
“Just trying to make sure that they minimize their cost of production as much as they can,” Milhollin said. “To hopefully help improve their profitability potential for their farming operation."
