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February 5, 2016 More than one H-2A provider serves Washington By DAN WHEAT Capital Press YAKIMA, Wash. — Con- tinuing shrinkage of the available labor force in ev- ery sector of agriculture is a big concern to growers, a top supplier of foreign farm- workers says. The company masLa- bor of Lovington, Va., is the leading supplier of H-2A and H-2B-visa foreign guest- workers in the nation, pro- viding 13,000 workers annu- ally to 800 cli- ents in 46 states and in nearly every ag sector. Kerry Its program Scott manager, Kerry Scott, spoke at the Washing- ton Growers League annual meeting at the Yakima Con- vention Center Brendan on Jan. 26. Monahan While WA- FLA, formerly known as the Washington Farm Labor Association, provided 7,895 of the 11,844 H-2A workers used in Wash- ington in 2015, masLabor provided about 500. Zirkle Fruit Co., Selah, hired 2,889, according to U.S. Depart- ment of Labor records. MasLabor hires the Wash- ington Growers League to do some of its legwork in Wash- ington and began offering services in the state several years ago, about the same time WAFLA’s H-2A ser- vices began expanding. WAFLA recruits, trans- ports and provides H-2A workers from Mexico for employers. It offers individ- ual, shared and sequential services. MasLabor generally costs more but offers a greater de- gree of customization with individual and shared con- tracts, Scott said. Growers have a greater chance of get- ting the same workers back each year that they have trained, he said. MasLabor’s shared or joint-employer contracts of- fer greater shared grower control and shared liability so it takes growers who work well together and trust each other, he said. Sequential services, whereby H-2A workers harvest different kinds of crops for different growers in sequence, can get tricky if weather or other factors cause last-minute changes in need, Scott said. Growers have switched in both directions between masLabor and WAFLA and some are well suited to WAF- LA, he said. Florida citrus growers have found they can get the same amount of work done with 25 percent fewer H-2A workers than domestic work- ers because H-2A workers work harder, Scott said. Tree fruit packers can use H-2A workers if packing their own fruit but have to hire H-2B workers if pack- ing fruit for other growers. The H-2B program is more dificult to navigate, he said. Mike Gempler, execu- tive director of Washing- ton Growers League, talked about shakedowns for mon- ey and exploitation that can happen with contractors in Mexico hired to recruit work- ers. He said it’s important to have ethical companies doing that work. U.S. law does not apply in Mexico, but U.S. labor advocates want the U.S. government to exercise jurisdiction over H-2A re- cruitment there, which would slow down the process and increase costs, he said. Brendan Monahan, a Ya- kima labor attorney, talked about H-2A risks including foreign and domestic recruit- ing, wages, medical liabili- ties and more invasive feder- al and state audits. CapitalPress.com 5 Farm equipment sales mixed, Colusa vendors say By TIM HEARDEN Capital Press COLUSA, Calif. — Farm equipment sales in California are a mixed bag, say vendors at the 51st annual Colusa Farm Show. Lately, much of the pros- pects for equipment compa- nies have depended on the commodities they service. For companies that cater to the tree nut industry, such as Chico, Calif., based Wizard Manufacturing, business has remained fairly brisk. “We’ve been holding our own,” company salesman Dave Mulqueeney said as he greeted farm show attendees on Feb. 2. “If the drought continues for another year, it might (affect the business). So far it hasn’t affected our busi- ness.” But for businesses whose customers grow crops that have been affected by drought, business has slowed as farmers’ budgets tighten. “Let’s hope El Nino picks up the ag economy,” said Howard J. Ditkof, president of J and S Equipment in Con- cord, Calif. “The ag economy has been awful. The whole ag economy has crumbled with the drought. But with the rain, I’m optimistic about this year.” Salespeople from Wizard Tim Hearden/Capital Press Tim Hearden/Capital Press A cutting demonstration is given at the 51st annual Colusa Farm Show on Feb. 2 at the fairgrounds in Colusa, Calif. Hundreds of vendors displayed their goods and services at the three-day show. and J and S were among hun- dreds of vendors of agricultur- al goods large and small at the self-proclaimed “granddaddy of farm shows” Feb. 2-4 at the fairgrounds in Colusa. The show was to include seminars on insurance, social media, safety and other topics as well as the annual Ag Lead- ership Breakfast sponsored by California State Universi- ty-Chico’s College of Agri- culture and its supporters, set for earlier this week. The farm show comes as prices paid to farmers na- tionwide haven’t kept pace with expenses in the last year after a period in which farm commodity prices increased by 33 percent from 2009 to 2014. Moreover, in the mid Sac- ramento Valley, many rice growers have had to reduce acreage in the past couple of years because there hasn’t been enough water available. John O’Brien, chief oper- ating oficer of the Merced, Calif.-based N and S Tractor Co., said its stores have re- mained fairly busy despite the drought. “We’ve been pretty fortu- nate,” O’Brien said. “They’re farming less ground but they still need equipment. Hope- fully this rain keeps going and we can get the lakes full.” For some retailers, busi- ness has been driven by reg- ulation. New state air quality standards for diesel-powered Dave Mulqueeney, a salesman for Wizard Manufacturing in Chico, stands near a machine used for externally drying wal- nuts before they’re sent to the dehydrator. The display was at the Colusa Farm Snow on Feb. 2 at the fairgrounds in Colusa, Calif. irrigation power units have sent some growers to Enviro- Pro Energy Co. in Williams, Calif., whose natural gas and propane-powered equipment are exempt. “The irrigation market is very robust right now because of” the new stricter emissions regulations, EnviroPro pres- ident and general manager Joe Silva said during the farm show. “It’s an alternative,” he said of his company’s equip- ment. “We actually have com- petitors here this year.” News When You Need It! CALL 1-800-882-6789 TO SUBSCRIBE NOW! Register to get ALL the benefits of your subscription. 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