[MIgramma]

High school kids would love to do some of the jobs.
Did a lot of picking in my younger days too.
Trouble is nowadays with all the regulations and pay demands kids are pretty much left out of the loop.
A few farmers still have kids put up hay and hire kids but most have mechanized. Less hassle.

[bikerman]

I agree about the kids somewhat but I am sure their are many others such as people on probation,young able body's on welfare,prisoners,minor offenses that could be worked out by doing time on a farm instead of jail where their is a will theirs a way.

[Kozak]

A few farmers still have kids put up hay and hire kids but most have mechanized. Less hassle.

Bingo. One of the problems with the "cheap" (it's ONLY cheap to the farmer, not the rest of us) illegals is it distorts the market. If that endless flow of cheap labor was cut out, a lot of the work would be mechanized, leading to GREATER efficiency in the long run. Australia which does not have our cheap illegal labor mechanized it's raisin production and now has a huge chunk of that market.