In the wake of major crops losses due to Georgia and Alabama’s tough new immigration laws, some Southern farmers are attempting to adjust to the new labor shortages by changing their crop rotations.

Over the last several months, both Georgia and Alabama passed a series of laws designed to reduce the flow of illegal immigration. Both states required employers to use the federal E-Verify system, which matches employment applications to federal records, both states empowered law enforcement to verify the status of individuals detained by police, and Alabama went as far as to require all students to verify their residency status.

Following the passage of these laws, many agricultural laborers left the state, creating major labor shortages on many farms. Farmers in both Georgia and Alabama have reported millions of dollars in lost revenue and many farms have reported crops rotting in the field with no one to pick them.

While many farmers are hoping that new federal regulations may make it easier to attract guest workers, many are also altering their planting patterns to reflect the new lack of labor. In Georgia, for example, labor intensive crops like Vidalia onions, the state’s official vegetable, may see a ten percent drop in production as farmers plant fewer acres, while crops that can be harvested mechanically are expected to see increased production.

In addition, many farmers are simply planting less in general. While this may reduce their total profits, eliminating wasted money on seeds and fertilizer for crops that may rot in fields can help reduce overhead and get farmers through this rough patch.

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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer

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Earlier this week, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture was adding more than $300 million to federal emergency funds. The money goes to supporting USDA programs aimed at helping farmers recover from natural disasters and extreme weather.

The $300 million increase is significantly more than last year’s emergency spending of about $136 million. The reason for the increase, USDA officials say, is the rise in extreme weather and natural disasters seen over the last year.

The largest portion of the money, about $110 million, is headed towards Utah and Missouri both of which experienced heavy flooding over the past year. Last spring, for example, flooding along the Mississippi forced the Army Corps of Engineers to destroy levees in southern Missouri in order to prevent flooding in major metropolitan areas in Illinois. About $50 million is going to Missouri farmers to help them recover from the damage.

Smaller amounts of money are heading across the country. In New York, for example, the USDA is releasing about $40 million to help the state repair damage to watersheds and reverse erosion that occurred in the wake of Hurricane Irene. Alabama is set to receive about $6 million to help recover from last summer’s tornadoes.

Reflecting on the wide scale nature of requests for emergency funding, Secretary Vilsack stated, “There have been years that have had more intensive damage in a particular geographic area, but what’s unique about last year is that virtually every part of the country was affected.”

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In a ceremony earlier this week, the Balkh Women’s Farms Service Center opened in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Balkh Center was set up through USAID (United States Agency for International Development), an organization responsible for administering civilian aid and dedicated to “extend[ing] a helping hand to those people overseas struggling to make a better life, recover from a disaster or striving to live in a free and democratic country.”

The ceremony was attended by members of the Afghan parliament, the Head of Plant Protection of the Provincial Department of Agriculture, and several U.S. officials.

The Balkh Center is one of nearly 20 farm service retail centers created through USAID funding and the second center created to help women farmers in Afghanistan.

The goals of the center, Afghan officials say, is to help provide female farmers with access to high-quality seed, fertilizer, crop protection products, livestock medicine, and machine parts. The center’s focus on women reflects the difficulty that many Afghan women face upon entering the workforce, particularly in traditionally male dominated fields like agriculture.

In a statement at the ceremony, the USAID Field Program Officer stated, “The United States Government is proud to assist dedicated women who are working to support their families, feed their children, and contribute to the overall growth and prosperity of the economy of Afghanistan.”

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Despite objections from France, the European Commission will maintain current environmental clauses in the European Union’s farm policy. France, the largest agricultural producer in the Union, typically wields a significant amount of influence in the European Commission. The Commission’s overriding of France’s objections demonstrates the seriousness that many European farmers place on agricultural reform.

The main bone of contention, EU spokespeople said, was a series of agricultural regulations designed to create a more sustainable farm policy across the EU. The new policies would require member-states to allocate 30 percent of their agricultural budgets to environmental measures, require 7 percent of farmland to be left free of crops, and would force farmers to better diversify their crops.

French agricultural officials claimed that these regulations would seriously hinder their agricultural sector. Leaving 7 percent of farmland crop-free, they said, would significantly reduce food supplies. Spending 30 percent of agricultural budgets on environmental measures is excessive, they claim, and requiring farmers to diversify their crops would limit farmers’ ability to take advantage of crop booms, specifically the current demand for ethanol-corn.

However, EU officials say that these changes would help better prepare European farmers and economies for major changes to current agricultural models. Leaving farmland free of crops would encourage ecological development and could help combat climate change and biodiversity loss. Spending more on environmental programs and encouraging crop diversity would also go a long way to creating a greener and more sustainable agricultural system.

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Earlier this week, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton met with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to hammer out a commitment from the state and federal governments regarding water quality in Minnesota.

In a ceremony at the Minnesota capitol, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Dayton and Vilsack committing both governments to develop new programs to encourage voluntary conservation practices designed to improve water quality.

Praising the signing, Dayton stated, “Water and food are two of society’s essential resources. Today, we are taking a bold step for a program, which keeps agriculture a cornerstone of our economy and also protects the health of our rivers, lakes and streams. It is vital that we have both.”

Secretary Vilsack promised that the program would serve to reward farmers who made serious commitments to environmental conservation, stating, “Establishment of this program will protect our water resources by providing assurances and incentives to participating farmers that their good deeds – their strong commitment to conservation – will be recognized.”

While the details of the program will be worked out over the next months, the basics revolve around the creation of a conservation certification program. When farmers comply with these certifications, they would be prioritized for federal cost-share funding and would be exempted from certain water quality regulations for their duration of their commitment.

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At a meeting of farm advocates in Battle Creek, Michigan, Senator Debbie Stabenow addressed the anticipated fight over this year’s Farm Bill.

Stabenow, as the chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, is uniquely positioned to discuss the Farm Bill and other issues affecting American farmers.

The 2012 Farm Bill has long been a subject of heated debate and speculation. With many provisions of the 2008 Farm Bill set to expire at the end of this year, lawmakers have been maneuvering to pass a new bill.

Added to this tense situation is the recent struggle over deficit spending and the budget. In the wake of fights over the debt ceiling, lawmakers have been looking for nearly $2 trillion to eliminate from the federal budget. Given these recent austerity measures, finding money for farm programs has been increasingly difficult.

Stabenow discussed the recent failure of the Congressional supercommittee, which attempted to pass a renewed Farm Bill as part of its larger budget. Stabenow expressed disappointment about this failure and told crowds that the supercommittee’s failure will send the Farm Bill back to regular congressional channels, a move that could lead to severe budget reductions.

Stabenow remains optimistic about the eventual passage of the bill. “We are steadily moving forward even in a climate of deficit reduction,” Stabenow stated.

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A bipartisan bill seeking to alter Washington State’s school schedule will also address chronic farm labor shortages across the state, supporters say.

Last year, Washington farmers experienced a major farm labor shortage at the height of harvest season. Orchardists across the state lost significant portions of their crop due to a lack of farm hands. State officials attempted to use convict labor, but the prospect of minimum wage was not palatable to many potential workers.

The bill in question would rearrange the school schedule to make it easier for children to work on farms while away from the classroom.

In addition, the bill would allow schools to offer classroom credit for students working on farms. According to Representative Norm Johnson, “The bill leaves it pretty wide open as to what [schools and colleges] can do. They could work as a senior project, colleges could offer some tuition incentive, some type of program where students could get credit for this.”

The Superintendent of the Sunnyside School District in Yakima County has come out in favor of the plan. While he hasn’t read the legislation, he has supported the idea of offering school credit for agricultural work.

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Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey has joined the growing opposition to Hilda Solis’ recent move to tighten up regulation of child labor on American farms.

The regulations, which were suggested several months ago, would limit the ability of children to work on farms. The regulations would limit children under the age of 16 from operating most powered farm machinery. In addition, it would limit children from working with many animals, and would prevent them from working in silos.

Children working on family farms would be exempt from these regulations.

Toomey is the latest politician to criticize these new regulations while condemning the Labor Department, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the federal government in general.

“This is a really a solution in search of a problem. Kids learn tremendously valuable life lessons by learning the discipline and learning to be productive on a family farm,” said Toomey. “We don’t need a bunch of bureaucrats in Washington deciding that they can’t do that anymore.”

In addition, Toomey has recently come out against Environmental Protection Agency regulations regarding the Chesapeake Bay. The EPA recently limited the amount of sediment runoff allowed into Chesapeake Bay tributaries.

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With farmers across the country enjoying high crop prices, many farmers are experiencing a seeming return to the golden age of agriculture. However, the high prices have had unintended consequences, most notably being increased rates of crop theft.

In New Mexico, pecan farmers are particularly worried about increasing thefts. Prices for pecans have shot up this year, riding to nearly $3 per pound. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture officials, the high prices have led to increased production with an estimated 56 million pounds produced this season.

The high prices and high yields have led to spikes in reported theft across the state.

According to one Las Cruces pecan farmer, thieves use tarps and sticks to strip trees. “These thieves are getting pretty brazen about it,” he said. “They’re out there in broad daylight. Then they get into their trucks and drive off.”

The New Mexico Pecan Grower’s Association is pressuring lawmakers to address the issue of pecan theft. In particular, they are hoping that the New Mexico legislature passes new regulations including requiring buyer registration.

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An agricultural panel in the Florida Statehouse has approved a bill that would criminalize unauthorized photography on privately owned farms.

Over the past several months, bills of this nature have been debated in agricultural states across the country. Inspired by a rash of undercover animal rights videos depicting animal cruelty on American farms, many farm advocacy groups have pressured state governments to pass laws banning unauthorized photography on private farms in an effort to prevent the production and distribution of animal rights videos.

Supporters of the bill deny that their intentions are to cover up animal cruelty and that they are merely concerned with protecting property rights.

Animal rights groups, on the other hand, argue that undercover investigations by private groups are frequently the only means activists have to jumpstart animal cruelty investigations. A spokesperson for the Humane Society of the United States cited a 1999 case involving the beatings and killings of calves, claiming that, “[the investigation] would not have happened… if we had not gone on that property and taken that video.”

A previous, more expansive version of this bill stalled when lawmakers discovered that its language could potentially ban pictures taken on the highway, police officer’s dash cam videos, and aerial photography. The current bill would only criminalize photographs taken from private property.

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