Afrikaners Reaping Colorado Wheat Threatened by Visa Cap

Wheat, like many crops, has a tight window for harvest, forcing farmers to move quickly before rain, wind or unseasonable temperatures strike. Foreigners account for one third of the labor force that harvests US wheat. Many small, skilled work crews come from South Africa during their off season to share combines and assist small US farms. Because wheat harvests are so mechanized, the small crews earn well above minimum wage. Immigration reform is stalled in the House of Representatives for now, but Congress is considering visa caps for agricultural labor, which could disrupt late-season harvests and hike food prices. ““The highly skilled itinerant workers, a little-noted component of the immigration overhaul struggling through Congress this year, have become essential to the nation’s $17.9 billion wheat crop,” reports Alan Bjerga for Bloomberg. He adds that internationalization began in the 1990s as the wheat industry became more mechanized, equipment became more complex and society placed more emphasis on education for young adults. The US leads the world in agricultural exports. – YaleGlobal