Liberal Forum

Oregon farmers scrambling as labor shortage collides with Trump immigration crackdown.

Oregon's long winter has given way to a springtime of fear in farm country, with farmers and orchardists bracing for a widespread immigration crackdown that could worsen an already chronic labor shortage in the state's $5.4 billion agricultural economy.

Providers of fruits and vegetables, nursery stock, produce, and meat products say the skilled workers who put food on our tables and plants in our yards can't be easily be replaced.

Their speed, dexterity, and crop knowledge of crops, as well as their willingness to work long hours and unpredictable schedules in isolated areas makes them vital to the industry.

The Trump administration's vows of aggressive enforcement against undocumented workers -- many of whom are longtime residents of the state -- and the companies that employ them could create chaos from farm to market and all points in between, industry leaders say.

"It's a big deal for us," said Bill Sweat, co-owner of Winderlea Vineyard & Winery in Dundee who has served on the Oregon Wine Board and as board president of the Oregon Winegrowers Association.

On a 1 to 10 scale, he said, he'd put worry about an enforcement-induced labor shortage "at about an 8."
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Growers say that even the fear of immigration raids could keep workers away during the narrow harvest window of such weather-sensitive crops as marionberries, pears, and wine grapes.

Some who have tried to hire non-immigrant workers say they've had little success in attracting and keeping those employees.