White House Takes Agriculture Angle on Immigration Reform

Jul 30, 2013

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

As the immigration debate heats up in the United States, the White House aims to highlight the importance of the legislation in American agriculture.

The White House released a report featuring a number of studies which discuss the important role that non-citizen farmworkers play in the agricultural industry. The report finds that close to half of crop and livestock workers, 43 percent, are immigrant workers. Given these statistics, the White House argues that agriculture would only seek to benefit from immigration reform.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack argues that an overhaul of immigration laws is needed as U.S. farmers and ranchers have expressed difficulties finding workers for certain jobs. The Senate passed an immigration mandate in June that would allow undocumented immigrants to become U.S. citizens, but the House has yet to pass its own legislation, which makes it less likely that an immigration bill will pass in 2013.

Video: How Did This Happen… Late Night Disaster!!

We started the day with some spraying ahead of the corn planter, then we transitioned over to the bean planter. While we were running the bean planter, the corn planter was hard at work all day. After days of grinding, we finally sealed the deal and finished up the very last of our corn planting!

Everything was running flawlessly until late into the night. Just as we were wrapping up, disaster struck—a massive flat tire on the sprayer… We were able to get the sprayer off the road safely and into the field. What a day!

My name is Michael Wendling, and I am proud to be a 6th-generation farmer carrying forward a family legacy that began in 1879 here in East Central Illinois.

Today, our operation focuses on raising food-grade corn for Frito-Lay and also soybeans. While the tools and technology have evolved, our core values remain the same: hard work, integrity, and a deep respect for the land we steward. Thank you for following along and supporting the journey.