Strange that when the kids and I went to an orchard and offered to pick apples we were told that the owners had enough help from Jamaica.
They paid to fly them in, put them up in one time chicken coops, fed them rice, paid them 50 cents a bushell and flew them home after the season.
I was at a birthday party in the next town from me and the neighbors had a huge corn field. Outside at the picknick table I noticed these field workers gathering the corn. I was struck by the fact that all the workers were Jamaican or something other then what I expected to see in a small town in New Hampshire. I got up and walked toward the property line to watch, the men seemed to be wearing some kind of skirt when I was pulled back and told not to watch.
Same thing, it is the small farmers that find it cheaper to fly in for 6 weeks, feed and house in tents field workers then to hire locals at minimun wage to do the work.
Big difference between the Huge farms and the small family owned farms, sure they need to survive and hire the cheapest labor they can find even if they have to pay round trip air fare for their workers.
Why????
The tax laws will allow business expense to allowance to farmers that have to pay the air fare, feed and shelter their workers. They also get benefits for any health problems the workers have, a cut finger is worth $1500. Seldom if ever are the checked to see their living conditions are humane, if they have have a toilet or hot water.
Another problem, a farmer may receive 15 field workers but only 5 go go home, they are paid in cash and head out looking for others from their country to help them stay here.
Ever wonder why our food is contaminated all too often.? Could it be that there is no toilets in the fields or hot water to wash hands after going even if they are forced to squart in a patch of broccoli or pee in a lettice field.
Worse food we can eat today is a fresh salad, we can wash the veges but the bad germs will just get a drink of water.
Rant over---for now.
