"Americans not cutting it as farm laborers"

"Often, they don't show back up to do the difficult, low - paying tasks."


Snippets from the original article by Jay Reeve and Alicia A. Caldwell. Associated Press. The San Antonio EXPRESS - NEWS. Friday, October 21, 2011.

"ONEONTA, Alabama -- Potato farmer Keith Smith saw most of his Hispanic employees leave after this state's tough immigration law took effect, so he hired Americans.

"It hasn't worked out.

"The Americans show up late, work slower than seasoned farm hands and are ready to call it a day after lunch or by mid-afternoon.

"Some quit after a single day.

"In Alabama and other parts of the country, farmers must look beyond the nation's borders for labor because many Americans don't want the backbreaking, low - paying jobs immigrants are willing to take.

"Politicians who support the law say that over time, more unemployed Americans will fill these jobs.

"They consider it too early to consider the law a failure, yet numbers from the governor's office only nominal interest.

Farmer Keith "Smith said I've had people calling me wanting to to work. I haven't turned any of them down, but they're not any good. It's hard work, they just don't work like the Hispanics with experience.

"Alabama passed its law in June and it was immediately challenged by the Obama administration as it has been in other states.

"Unlike those states' measures, Alabama's law was left largely in place while challenges played out in court, frightening Hispanics and driving them away...

"Governor Robert Bentley, a Republican who signed the law, started a program last week to help businesses, particularly farmers, make up for the lost labor.

"So far, about 260 people interested in temporary agricultural jobs have signed up.

"About three dozen of them have been hired, said Tara Hutchison, a spokeswoman for the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations.

"She didn't know whether any had quit...

"A crew of four Hispanics can earn about $150 each by picking 250 to 300 boxes of tomatoes in day, said Jerry Spencer of Grow Alabama.

"A crew of 25 Americans recently picked 200 boxes -- giving them each $24 for the day..."

Oh, my! :)