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SPRINGVILLE — Utah farmers say they would love to see immigration reform after a new report says the U.S. can either import farm workers or import food.
Harward Farms grows melons, squash, pumpkins and more, and sells them at stands throughout Utah County. It is busy from mid-April to mid-November.
Owner Jake Harward advertises in four states for workers.
”There just isn’t the worker base that wants to do this work, whether you pay them $10 or $20,” he said.
So, he brings in temporary workers from other countries through the H-2A visa program.
"We can either import our workers or we can import our food,” he said.
A new report says if U.S. immigration reform is enforcement only, workers will go away and food prices will go up an additional 5 to 6 percent over five years.
"If you hired American citizens and paid them $20, it's just going to increase food costs," Harward said.
He said he has called Utah’s congressional delegation to ask it to pass immigration reform and make the visa process more streamlined and less cumbersome.
"I'm the same company generally bringing the same workers each year, and I have to go through the exact same process every year to get them here," he said.
The report said reform should include a guest worker program and a way for skilled laborers to update their status.
