By Clint Thompson
Labor remains a contentious issue for specialty crop producers in the Southeast. It will be highlighted during the upcoming Florida Blueberry Growers Association Conference and Trade Show.
“It’s a topic with some really high interest among growers,” said Doug Phillips, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) blueberry Extension coordinator.
It has been widely debated in Florida following the new immigration law, which went into effect on July 1. Growers are concerned about what it means for their future workforce, especially since E-Verify will now be implemented.
Blueberry farmers will hear about labor and the new regulations from fellow growers at the blueberry conference, scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 25, at Bonnet Springs Park in Lakeland, Florida. Growers like Ryan Atwood, Bobby Barden and Jack Green J. and Kyle Straughn are scheduled to participate in a panel discussion about E-Verify, H-2A and other labor issues.
“I think it’s going to be a great panel. We’ve had some comments from growers that would like more of this type of thing,” Phillips said. “Going forward, we’re going to include more grower panels in our meetings in the spring and the fall for the growers association.
“I think the two areas of focus are going to be E-Verify, which for the state of Florida is a new issue, a new set of rules. Who’s exempt from these new rules? Who has to follow them? What are the implications of that? The second area is going to be H-2A. The costs have been increasing over the years. They probably will continue to increase to some degree. I think there’s a lot of interest in growers in talking about that.”
E-Verify is a web-based system that employers use to confirm the eligibility of their employees. In the new immigration bill signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, employers with more than 25 employees must use E-Verify.