Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Major Northeast tomato grower ends crop over migrant shortage
Philly.com ^ | Mar. 24, 2008 | MICHAEL RUBINKAM

Posted on 03/24/2008 3:39:21 PM PDT by raybbr

CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. - Saying the nation's immigration system is broken, Pennsylvania's largest grower of fresh-to-market tomatoes announced Monday he will no longer produce the crop because he can't find enough workers to harvest it.

Keith Eckel, 61, a fourth-generation farmer and the owner of Fred W. Eckel Sons Farms, said he saw a dramatic decline last summer in the number of migrant workers who showed up to pick tomatoes at his 2,000-acre farm in northeastern Pennsylvania.

He said Congress' failure to approve comprehensive immigration reform had hindered his ability to hire enough workers to get his crop to the market. Most of Eckel's workers came from Mexico.

"There are a number of workers hesitant to travel, legal or illegal, because of the scrutiny they are now under," said Eckel, whose tomatoes have been shipped to supermarkets and restaurants throughout the eastern United States. "So there are less workers crossing state lines."

Eckel, who planted 2.2 million tomato plants last year, said he also will stop growing pumpkins and plant half as much sweet corn as usual, resulting in a loss of nearly 175 jobs.

Eckel, one of the largest growers of fresh-market tomatoes in the Northeast, said it cost him $1.5 million to $2 million to plant and harvest a tomato crop , too much of an investment to risk not having enough workers at harvest time.

"The system to provide our labor is broken and the emotion surrounding the immigration issue is standing in the way of those in the political arena moving forward to solve it," Eckel told a news conference at his farm in Clarks Summit.

(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government
KEYWORDS: aliens
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-87 next last
To: raybbr
Image hosted by Photobucket.com tell the Welfare Rats they either pick... or lose their free ride.
61 posted on 03/24/2008 4:37:22 PM PDT by Chode (American Hedonist ©®)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Popman
Obviously, you have never put your money on the line to try and turn a profit.

Ummm.... Better read post #41 before you go much further.

62 posted on 03/24/2008 4:37:50 PM PDT by raybbr (You think it's bad now - wait till the anchor babies start to vote!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: dennisw
If McCain and Congress legalized 20 million illegal aliens what makes this guy think he will get his farm laborers?

The simple and logical answer is, they would prefer the higher
paying jobs without all the intensive labor. He would still lose.

63 posted on 03/24/2008 4:39:07 PM PDT by MaxMax (I need a life after politics)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: raybbr

If you look at the details of those subsidies, I don’t think you’ll find any for tomatoes or pumpkins. And I didn’t see any indication they plan to stop planting corn or any other crop we’re giving them subsidies for.

If they can’t find anyone to pick the tomatoes, how are they going to find someone to pick the corn? Are they collecting subsidies for producing a crop that they cannot produce? Or are they lying about not being able to find workers to pick the crops?


64 posted on 03/24/2008 4:40:20 PM PDT by BykrBayb (In memory of my Friend T'wit, who taught me much. Þ)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 56 | View Replies]

To: raybbr

Next rich capitalist needs to invent the tomato picker. NOW.


65 posted on 03/24/2008 4:40:23 PM PDT by therut
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
"help this man get inexpensive workers"

If his average wage is $16.59 per hour, how much should he pay?

66 posted on 03/24/2008 4:42:38 PM PDT by Ben Ficklin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 53 | View Replies]

To: redreno

Hasn’t that been copyrighted by now?


67 posted on 03/24/2008 4:43:51 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Go buy Cloverfield when it comes out. No frickin' politics!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 54 | View Replies]

To: Ben Ficklin

Hey, maybe that’s his idea of inexpensive. But like I said, get rid of welfare, and he’ll get his workers.


68 posted on 03/24/2008 4:44:37 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Go buy Cloverfield when it comes out. No frickin' politics!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 66 | View Replies]

To: Chode

Get rid of the free ride in the first place, and they will pick.


69 posted on 03/24/2008 4:46:07 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Go buy Cloverfield when it comes out. No frickin' politics!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 61 | View Replies]

To: raybbr

His workers are as close as Philadelphia, PA and Newark, NJ.
Knock off all the entitlement programs that these potential workers suck at the tit of (going back to LBJ) and voila there’s your home grown work force.


70 posted on 03/24/2008 4:46:44 PM PDT by BluH2o
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Popman
Obviously, you have never put your money on the line to try and turn a profit.

Every day I open my store, and especially on days it's not open.

If you think this farmer is making a political statement and didn't try to find workers, your immigration psychosis is at a dangerous level.

Bull. Somehow crops get harvested around the United States, and it does not depend upon a migrant illegal. Some companies even offer retirement benefits to encourage return employees...

This country has a SERIOUS problem with illegal immigrant, but doing NOTHING is just as bad.

Gosh, how many temporary work visas are issued in the United States each year? Half a million? Please.

Congress is doing this country a serious disservice to it's citizens by not addressing this issue in a balanced sensible fashion.

They're doing a disservice by turning the debate into a pandering jaunt for illegal alien supporters.

71 posted on 03/24/2008 4:56:44 PM PDT by kingu (Party for rent - conservative opinions not required.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: Calpernia
You would think the 4H groups would be leveraged for harvesting.

But that's 'exploiting children' the liberals would scream. Personally I think most college students would be served well by spending a summer picking on a farm.

72 posted on 03/24/2008 4:59:42 PM PDT by kingu (Party for rent - conservative opinions not required.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Image hosted by Photobucket.com works for me...

unless they are mentally incapable or too disabled to work... SCREW-EM!!!

73 posted on 03/24/2008 5:10:37 PM PDT by Chode (American Hedonist ©®)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 69 | View Replies]

To: kingu

>>>But that’s ‘exploiting children’ the liberals would scream.

Notice how the liberal laws are always creating the problem?


74 posted on 03/24/2008 5:19:57 PM PDT by Calpernia (Hunters Rangers - Raising the Bar of Integrity http://www.barofintegrity.us)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 72 | View Replies]

To: raybbr
Eckel, who planted 2.2 million tomato plants last year, said he also will stop growing pumpkins and plant half as much sweet corn as usual, resulting in a loss of nearly 175 jobs.

LOL... He runs a forth generation, multi million dollar business and he cant' find 175 workers? He deserves to go out of business.

He's all too used to getting rich on the backs of the illegals and shifting all their costs and benefits onto the backs of the taxpayers.

This is who the Republican leadership is pandering to. A few campaign dollars from guys like this and they're ready to toss conservatives under the bus.

Karl Rove, you fool! It's the height of Republican stupidity when "comprehensive" amnesty would be bring in 20 million new Democrat voters in these days of razor thin election margins.

75 posted on 03/24/2008 5:23:40 PM PDT by RJL
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: raybbr

Eckel...Move to Mexico!

It’s time you pay your own way!


76 posted on 03/24/2008 5:39:23 PM PDT by Randy Larsen (Arrogance IS my virtue!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Revelation 911

um - lemme guess what hes gonna grow now....biofuel?

Bingo!

"The acreage he previously devoted to tomatoes and pumpkins will be converted to field corn that is harvested by machines."

He's just switching to the latest high priced crop. The demand for corn to support ethanol and other bio-fuel uses will keep the price of corn high -- plus I'm sure there are subsidies to be had.

"Eckel, who planted 2.2 million tomato plants last year, said he also will stop growing pumpkins and plant half as much sweet corn as usual, resulting in a loss of nearly 175 jobs."

Sorry Mr. Eckel, but if there aren't any takers for the jobs you used to offer, but don't intend to offer in the future then they can't be "lost".

77 posted on 03/24/2008 5:40:01 PM PDT by freeandfreezing
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: therut
Next rich capitalist needs to invent the tomato picker. NOW.

Already done and linked above. Maybe some rich capitalist needs to buy a bunch of advanced harvesting equipment and rent it out to smaller farmers.

78 posted on 03/24/2008 6:19:03 PM PDT by dan1123 (If you want to find a person's true religion, ask them what makes them a "good person".)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 65 | View Replies]

To: Popman
With all due respect sir, screw Mr. Eckel and his tomatoes AND his profits!
Did the Eckels family business plan just consider turning the local school district and hospital system into some third world cesspool an unfortunate side effect to his profit margin?
I don't know the man personally, but it would serve him right if he went broke and had to put his own kids in the same schools he helped create.
79 posted on 03/24/2008 6:26:17 PM PDT by ExSafecracker (Press 1 for english. . .2 for jibberish.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 43 | View Replies]

To: raybbr

“Keith Eckel, 61...”
___________________________________________________

So he decides to retire and his sons don’t want to take over the business, so he decides to make it into a political statement.


80 posted on 03/24/2008 6:47:18 PM PDT by AlternateEgo ("The stakes are too high for government to be a spectator sport." - Barbara Jordan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-87 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson