A drought of farm labor

Higher wages would help, critics point out. "The problem is that the agricultural industry has come to expect that they will have exactly the workers they need when they need them and at the price they want them, but that is not the way the economy works," says Ira Mehlman of the Federation of American Immigration Reform.

Furthermore, America is not getting the cheap labor it expects from undocumented workers because of the unseen cost of $10.5 billion spent a year for health, education, and incarceration of such workers, he says. "If you started factoring in all the costs associated with these low-wage workers, you would realize the cost of a head of lettuce is prohibitive in this situation."

Farmers disagree.

"You always hear the argument that if we just paid decent wages and made these jobs open to legal Americans that the jobs would be filled," says Cunha, president of the Nisei Farmers League. "We have found that to be completely not so."

Vessey says he offered $8.50 an hour but that some workers choosing to harvest "per carton" can average up to $12 per hour. But when he went recently to Imperial County's welfare and economic development department seeking 300 workers for the next day, only one showed up to his fields and left after half a day.

The loss of farm workers also has a ripple effect across agricultural regions, say economic analysts - with about 3.5 more jobs lost in packing, cleaning, transport, and other ancillary activities for every agricultural job not filled.

Vessey, Cunha, and Ms. Holmstrom all say they understand the concerns about security but claim that a new national dialogue about immigration reform is essential. They applaud President Bush's recent speech in Arizona, for acknowledging the need for a guest-worker program. They say it's critical because about 1.5 million of the nation's estimated 11.5 million illegals are known to work in agriculture. If that number dwindles, they say, no Americans will be there to fill the gap.

"If this doesn't change and change quickly, I think you could see the end of desert agriculture in this region," says Vessey. He supports a bill sponsored by Sens. Edward Kennedy (D) of Massachusetts and Larry Craig (R) of Idaho. Among its provisions: a plan to allow workers to earn the right to stay in the United States for up to six years and then apply for residency if they meet certain requirements.

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