Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and John Kasich speak in Wisconsin
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
As the marathon to the White House continues, the three remaining Republican candidates stopped in Wisconsin on Mar. 29 for a town hall where agriculture was a key focus of the evening.
When asked about immigration issues by a dairy farmer and its relation to agriculture workers, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump used California’s grape-growing industry as a comparison, saying the seasonal work has different immigration effects than others.
Trump said there’s “illegals all over the country,” alleging there could be anywhere between 11 and 14 million.
Trump said people who enter America to work will do so through a visa program.
“We don’t want to affect business. We want to grow business,” he said.
On agricultural trade, Trump said the trade policy will get straightened out to address the fact that some countries don’t accept American products due to spoilage, but the United States accepts products tax-free.
Sticking with immigration, Senator Ted Cruz said he understands finding American ag workers can be difficult and cited Arizona jalapeno grower Rob Knorr as an example.
Cruz said he read a Wall Street Journal piece about Knorr that outlined wage increases for farmworkers. Knorr now pays $20 an hour for equipment operators and $13 an hour for field help. As a result, Knorr has planted fewer acres.
Cruz also addressed the Waters of the U.S. regulation, which expands the range of waters that fall under federal jurisdiction, and said the country needs a president that can take the burden off of farmers and make it easier for them to grow food.
When Ohio Governor John Kasich was asked about immigration, he said the American border needs to be protected and that a guest worker program should be in place to allow seasonal workers to return home when their services aren’t needed in the U.S.