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Craig Underwood, farmer and Underwood Ranches owner, on how the labor drought in California is impacting his farm business.
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Well is different sort of drought plaguing California the nation's largest farm state facing a massive shortage of labor farmers are being hit hard.
Craig Underwood is one of them for the first time this year.
-- it turned down crop orders because he could not find -- labor to produce them.
Craig owns Underwood branches were pleased to have him join us with his story announcer welcome to you.
Good morning -- Why would -- say the worker shortage is worse this year than previous years.
Well did -- every year we have more workers retiring as they get older.
And the borders so -- right now -- it's both dangerous and expensive for workers who wanna work here to cross over.
And also if any worker decides to return to Mexico they're not going to be it would come across those workers shouldering -- -- Are illegal workers correct why can't you find your.
Legal workers.
Well -- there hasn't been a path for workers from Mexico or any other country you work legally.
In this country for 2030 years I don't know exactly.
So most of the young workers that are the key part of the workforce are going to be undocumented.
Thanks for better immigration policy doesn't it.
That'd be nice to have a dialogue about it there's there's some solutions out there we could just get all sides talk about it.
What -- some of those solutions -- what would help you and your business.
Well we have.
You know our our goal would be to have -- the stable reliable workforce and did they intricacies of working out the immigration policy -- little outside of -- You limit -- criteria I hear it interesting for your take nonetheless.
But here's the bigger picture question right nationwide unemployment is it eight point 3% people are absolutely desperate for jobs.
See you would think that especially a state like California which has its own fiscal nightmare to deal with that people would be.
By waiting for the opportunity to work for you but that's not the case.
We we have virtually no interest in -- unemployed people looking for work in the fields and -- a couple of reasons for that.
You know for right now I think farmers make up 2% of the population so there might if you people would grow up on a farm.
And if you know grow up on a farm and and learn the skills.
And the ability to work hard in the field.
If you grown up.
You know working with computers you're not likely to wanna work in the field and typically farmers.
You know our average work week is.
Sixty hours and not too many people are accustomed to that.
I mean they see your your your kind of smirking kind of chuckling you know computer expert -- professionals not gonna wanna.
Stepped down to work on a -- but let me tell I mean.
Desperate times you Tony I'm not -- I'm sitting here in this fantastic job here at Fox Business news but.
If my family you know -- was desperate I would with -- up for a job Craig.
Well I think we have us that a strong enough safety network where -- probably doesn't get quite to that and I knew I would be going to guess that most people if they're if they're thinking about work -- it.
You know we're right -- -- off the radar screen at one thing it's it's.
It's hard work.
You know the people that do work probably work harder than anybody else physically in the country a good point Greg -- -- good luck to you thanks for sharing your story.
You're welcome.
