Posted on Jul 28, 2023
As these farmworkers' children seek a different future, who will pick the crops?
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https://www.npr.org/2023/07/28/ [login to see] /farm-workers-labor-shortage-h2a-visa-dan-newhouse-immigration
By 6 in the morning, Paola Mendoza has pulled her hair back under a baseball cap and donned a long-sleeved sweatshirt to report to her summer job on a farm in Washington's Yakima Valley, known for its apples, pears and hops.
Mendoza is not there to pick fruits or vegetables. She's a research intern working on a project to improve irrigation systems. She spends her days staking the fields and collecting samples alongside her boss, Alan Schreiber, who also employs her mother.
Patricia Mendoza has worked on Schreiber's farm for more than 20 years. She spends her days weeding, thinning, planting and hand-harvesting crops. During peak harvest, she used to work as many as 70 hours a week.
Her earnings have helped provide the family with a decent living. But from the time Paola was young, both her mom and her dad — also a farmworker — were clear about one thing: They did not want her future to be on a farm.
By 6 in the morning, Paola Mendoza has pulled her hair back under a baseball cap and donned a long-sleeved sweatshirt to report to her summer job on a farm in Washington's Yakima Valley, known for its apples, pears and hops.
Mendoza is not there to pick fruits or vegetables. She's a research intern working on a project to improve irrigation systems. She spends her days staking the fields and collecting samples alongside her boss, Alan Schreiber, who also employs her mother.
Patricia Mendoza has worked on Schreiber's farm for more than 20 years. She spends her days weeding, thinning, planting and hand-harvesting crops. During peak harvest, she used to work as many as 70 hours a week.
Her earnings have helped provide the family with a decent living. But from the time Paola was young, both her mom and her dad — also a farmworker — were clear about one thing: They did not want her future to be on a farm.
As these farmworkers' children seek a different future, who will pick the crops?
Posted from npr.org
Farming
Agriculture
State of Washington
Children
Immigration
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 1
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Good question PO1 William "Chip" Nagel seems no one wants to let those hard working migrants in to harvest the crops, which will certainly drive prices up and supplies down.
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