Automation of the planting phase, means one family can plant far more acres than they can harvest, based on the crop. If true, that only 20% of farms can earn a full living, than perhaps planting automation has made the family farm obsolete, and owners cannot share the harvest phase. Hence the incentive for foreign labor.
But that is just a distortion of the market. Build a solid border wall to protect the other folks in society. Ban guest workers, because living in a bus is anti-family.
Then what changes is like the free stock market, shares or contracts would be sold to give harvesters more ownership.
When harvesting is also automated for other crops like fruit picking, only then can one owner farmer responsibly manage the entire farm process.
But currently, mega planting, without mega harvesting, has a very detrimental impact on the rest of society.
If you cannot pick your own crops, you have too much farm.
Pretty broad-brush statement. Are you involved in agriculture?
Not sure you read or understood what I was saying...I am not supporting illegal immigrants. Migrant farm workers have been around for decades...Not sure how they impact agriculture job market, but they move around the country harvesting various crops...They are different from illegal border jumpers....
I do think there is a place for corporate farms...Why? Because few people have the time or space to grow any portion of their own food. Someone has to grow it. Do you grow your own food? Can it, etc.?
With reduced illegal immigration, it is going to cost consumers more for food. Fact...Just like it will cost more for lawn-mowing, roofing, etc. with fewer illegals. Actually, I have no problem with this as I grow a lot of my own food—I have over 30 tomato plants, over 30 squash and cukes, peppers, eggplant, spinach, radish, lettuce/kale/swiss chard, herbs, sunflowers, etc. If I get some egg layers, I would be store-free on bulk of food needs :)
What I was saying in my reply is that to expand harvest capabilities, small farms can and do use WSA...It is difficult to harvest enough acreage to make a family farm profitable if you only have one or two people doing it. From what I have seen, small family farms have difficult time affording high cost of automation.
WSA working share...family farms are doing that. It is one of the ways that family farms survive.
I am planning on buying a farmette & spouse is in ag, so I have learned a few things and continue learning by talking to family farmers and researching the subject...Here in IL, which has some of the best land for farming, it is not easy to make it work, and many if not most family farmers are utilizing multiple marketing opportunities (farm stand, farmer market, selling to restaurants/stores, CSA and WSA shares). They often if not always have one or more of the owners keeping their day job.