So one might think. The truth is vastly different.
This is a farming area colonized over 30 years by leftists and environmentalists with means. We have many small organic farms, in fact, I have read we have the largest concentration of such of anywhere in the country. We have a Waldorf School and a Waldorf-inspired High School, a very New Age charter HS and the largest organic co-operative in the country (turns close to $1B/year). Also, several grant-funded food production businesses that are spin offs of the farms and co-operative. Also a few subsidiaries of the organic co-op.
Every spring, several graduates of the New Age schools apply for work at the organic farms. They last maybe 3 weeks. They expect to choose which days they show up and for how long. Any personal reason at all is considered legitimate for not working. They all want to be bosses instead of workers. They argue with the owners and dispute everything from hours, to pay to procedures. They are such royal PITAs, that the costs of the green card workers is a bargain by comparison.
Some of the wealthier kids pay to be workers in European organic enterprises. This is sort of like a summer abroad program. They return and do not go into any sort of farming or food production at all. Mostly, they are slackers and Mom and Dad continue to support their transient enthusiasms.
Every year, one or more of these American kids decides to try their own hand at small-scale organic farming or livestock production. The opinions of the area vets and farmers range from amusement to disbelief in their practices. AFAIK, none of these have succeeded. The American kids, instead, start up companies to produce some variety of organic processed food...sodas, fermented foods, herbal extracts, et al. They usually get reams of great media and within a year or two, sell the business to the next in line and then go off to another start up of some sort. Tiny Houses are popular at the moment.
I have asked several successful producers, as well as a few who are scraping by and a few who have failed, about local workers and in every instance, I receive an hours long exposition of the subject, none of it favorable to the American kids.
That may well be experience with local, privileged, millennial slackers; but certainly not all American students. Especially as an offer to spend a summer in CA.
If they’re willing to fly them in from Mexico, they ought to be willing to fly them in from NJ, NY or wherever.
Clearly the issue is one of marketing, since there are programs where young college grads happily go work on organic farms elsewhere in the country for simple room and board.