By Sen. Russ Ingalls, Chair – Senate Agriculture Committee
As we are heading into our 5th week in the Legislature, I am blessed to chair such a strong committee. There is a balance of thought, sometimes a difference of opinion to which I encourage, but they all respect the institution of the Senate, one another, and more important, the Vermonters that enter our Committee via in person or Zoom. To say I’m proud to lead such a group is understated.
Vermont farmers face more problems than most. There aren’t enough people to consume all the dairy they produce, therefore farmers must rely on far-off markets. We just don’t have the consumer population. The same problem goes for the vegetables, fruits and nuts, beef, pork and poultry, eggs, grains, and maple and so many other products our farms produce.
We can argue about why it’s happening, but the changing weather cannot be denied. It’s another problem farmers must live with and adjust to.
Then there are political and policy hurdles. Farmers are facing advocacy group lawsuits aimed at land use and water quality. They’re wary that once they are required to move in one direction, the goal posts will change and money that the farmers believed was well spent on great intentions could be washed away like the floods we saw in the past few years.
The ill thought out law that bans seeds that contain neonicotinoids has caused great concern throughout our agriculture community. Af first glance it seemed that there was ample time to figure something else out, but the date of the ban is approaching fast. This law puts Vermont on an island of non-importance. Seed companies are not interested in developing any other seeds that have different treatments that 48 other states do not require.
The fact that Vermont is going to require them means nothing to the seed companies. They barely know that the Vermont market exists and certainly wont miss us when we are gone. And to be honest, we have twice as many bee hives as we had 10 years ago, so the notion that this ban protects pollinators was flawed from day on.
No-one cares more about the environment than farmers. It is amazing to hear these people speak. When asked why they do what they do, we hear everything except that they want to make money. They want to survive with the land and themselves as one. To keep doing what they are doing is the most important thing in their lives.
Listening to them leaves me asking, what would they ever do if they weren’t farming? I will fight to the end to make sure they can keep doing it.
So yes, our resilient farmers are making it happen in trying times and circumstances. But what is the problem they tell us over and over? The labor shortage. And the fear of what could happen in the blink of an eye to the workers they have now. Vermont needs a Guest Worker Registry Program.
Vermont farmers are mostly reliant on migrant workers, most here illegally. And before we think that this is going to turn into a political statement, the senators in my committee know that making such an attempt will get shot down as quick as a drone flying over a nudist colony. Both Republicans and Democrats have failed miserably to allow migrants to come here legally to work.
Let me be up front. We need to know who we let into our country. But here is our reality. We have hard working families here working to keep our agriculture industry alive. Without them, our agriculture business would be non-existent.
Vermonters know that they are here. We educate their kids in our schools, we see them when we drive by any farm, we see them in our communities as they shop in our stores. It’s time for our leaders in Washington to stop making Illegal immigration the money source for both parties it has become.
It’s also time for our two Senators and one Representative to quit fighting with the other party and focus on what our Vermont farmers need the most. In fairness to Sen. Peter Welch, he and I had a recent phone conversation about creating a Guest Worker Program for Vermont. And it got even better than that. The next day I proudly watched him repeat almost word for word on the Senate floor of what we discussed. So thank you Senator Welch. Let’s work together to move this idea forward.
To not know who is in our country cannot be allowed. Yes, I believe that we should not have illegal Immigration. But we simply cannot keep these migrants are keeping our Agriculture Industry alive in Vermont living in the shadows, with fears of leaving the farm to go to the grocery store and not returning to their jobs and family, a distinct possibility.
If we had a Guest Worker Program in our state, I could fill 300 jobs in my Senate district alone. Not just on farms but in all of our work force. And maybe even volunteer to help fill the other shortages we face in our fire departments and such. It’s time the politicians in Washington quit using this as a click bait way for them to fill their coffers, and get into a room and don’t come out until this is done. And if you can’t agree on what the Federal Government can do, then allow States to develop their own programs.
I believe that Governor Scott might be able to support such an idea as we have seen his leadership in welcoming refugees to our state with the hopes that they too could fill our jobs.
The author serves as Chair of Senate Agriculture and the Essex District of Vermont.