The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) today joined with members of the House of Representatives and a dozen other farm and ag groups to call on the Senate to take up and pass a bill to address the labor crisis faced by agriculture before the end of the year. The call came at a press conference on Capitol Hill organized by the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) that launched a Washington fly-in bringing producers from around the country to the Hill to push the Senate for action.
“Farmers and ranchers have taken time out from running their farms to come to Washington because they want the Senate to know that it’s now or never when it comes to passing an ag labor reform bill,” said Chuck Conner, president and CEO of NCFC. “Farmers and their co-ops face increasing difficulty in filling thousands of on-farm jobs across the country. They know that if this effort fails, it will likely be many years before this labor crisis is addressed. That’s why we are all speaking with one voice when saying to Senate: ‘Act now and pass ag labor reform.’”
Conner noted that Senators Michael Bennett (D-Colo.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) were working with their fellow senators to introduce a bill during the upcoming lame duck session. The House of Representatives passed its version of ag labor reform, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, on a strong bipartisan vote last year.
About NCFC
Since 1929, NCFC has been the voice of America’s farmer cooperatives. Our members are regional and national farmer cooperatives, which are in turn composed of nearly 2,000 local farmer cooperatives across the country. NCFC members also include 26 state and regional councils of cooperatives. Farmer cooperatives allow individual farmers the ability to own and lead organizations that are essential for continued competitiveness in both the domestic and international markets.
America’s farmer-owned cooperatives provide a comprehensive array of services for their members. These diverse organizations handle, process and market virtually every type of agricultural commodity. They also provide farmers with access to infrastructure necessary to manufacture, distribute and sell a variety of farm inputs. Additionally, they provide credit and related financial services, including export financing.
