Is the Migrant Crackdown in Florida a Land Grab

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: CoyoteAngels
Americans used to do farm work. Why can't they now?

Because people don't want to pay more for things, this is how places like Walmart and Amazon can sell produce for cheap. If people wanted to pay more their business model would collapse but American's want price, convenience and abundance.

Also because people haven’t had to.
Many can make 5-6-7-8+x what migrants are doing from the comfort and air conditioning of their cubicle. Why would they want to bend over all day picking cilantro?

That’s like saying why wouldn’t you want to hand wash your clothes vs. use a washing machine.

Of course this labor comes at a cost. Illegals are being used for their cheap labor. Nothing lasts forever.
We learned that when we shipped our jobs to China and India. India is now getting too expensive, and well China, we know how that goes.

Americans aren’t going to get all patriotic and start farming again. Some might do it in their own backyard but very few will be able to grow enough to survive on. What will happen is like others have mentioned, MORE automation. Maybe this is another reason. Maybe in order for it to work there can’t be big family farms…..

a reply to: BeNotAfraid

Um, they failed to do that within their own plots of dirt south of the Continental United States.

Maybe because it's a communist doctorship. But what he says is still valid. Where will the workers come to finish those projects and where will the workers come from to pick produce?

We need some immigration reform.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Then more of them should go through the legal process and come work...the way you make it sound they shouldn't have any issue once they immigrate legally.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Many young men in my generation worked summers on farms and paid for college by doing that. Why cant we have a minimum wage for students?

As for the land grab aspect... no doubt there were some farms damaged by Ian, some may have sold, and some need time to recover. It was just 6-7 months ago

abcnews.go.com...

1.8 billion in damage it might be a year or 2 to get back up to speed. The point being that they have a glut of unskilled labor and fewer jobs for them.

www.landandfarm.com...

Florida has 200,000 acres of farmland for sale based on recent Land And Farm data. The combined market value of farmland for sale in Florida is $3 billion, with the average price of farmland for sale in being $455,574. Discovery more Florida farmland and land for sale near you on Land and Farm. Our extensive database of properties includes a wide variety of land types, from rural acreage and farms to commercial properties and recreational retreats.

furthermore

www.fdacs.gov...

Florida Agriculture Overview and Statistics
Florida’s 47,500 farms and ranches utilize 9.7 million acres and continue to produce a wide variety of safe and dependable food products. From the citrus groves and the nurseries in Central and South Florida, to the vegetables in various regions around the state, to the cattle and calves throughout the state, these farms and ranches provide Florida with a large and stable economic base. In 2021 Florida ranked first in the United States in total floriculture sales and in the value of production for sweetcorn, foliage plants for indoor use, Valencia oranges, sugarcane, fresh market tomatoes and watermelons. Florida ranked second nationally in the value of production for bell peppers, grapefruit, all oranges, strawberries and non-Valencia oranges. The state ranked fourth in cabbage, cantaloupe and peanuts.

Lastly... I have a relative that works in agriculture and talks with farmers all throughout his region, most farmers want to move away from migrant workers completely. Pretty soon automation will take more and more migrant jobs. Already there are fruit-picking drones that can harvest 24 hours a day 7 days a week, in all kinds of conditions.

www.automate.org...

Challenges to Adopting AgTech
The adoption rate of automation in agriculture is on the rise. A new report hosted by ReportLinker says the global agricultural robots market size is $4.9 billion in 2021, which is a significant market. But this is expected to grow to $11.9 billion by 2026, at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.3 percent.

Clearly, automation in agriculture is expected to boom, but there are several challenges to adoption, the biggest being cost. For example, a driverless tractor is an expensive product just beginning its path to commercialization. But investing in even less expensive automated solutions such as automated milkers or soil sensor arrays can still put serious pressure on any agribusiness with already tight margins.

The other main hurdle to adopting automation in agriculture is trust and reliability. For a farmer or rancher to invest in an automated sprayer or a survey drone for their land, they have to trust that the equipment will do its job for many years to extract the best return on investment. And they must trust that the machine will not damage their crops, animals, or people.

Who is Automating Agricultural Operations
Currently, the largest segment of agricultural automation by type is autonomous (driverless) farm vehicles. While the adoption rate is still quite low because of cost, this technology is expected to eventually be a dominating force in agricultural automation because it's able to provide such a huge boost in productivity.

The fastest-growing automation segment in agriculture is field farming because drones are much more common. Therefore, it's easy to see the benefits of drone technology in agriculture, and this is expected to drive field farming to almost 30 percent of the segment’s market share within the next five years.

North America is currently the largest market for automation in agriculture, mainly because high labor costs and a shortage of workers have forced many operations to embrace robotics, sensors, and other forms of agricultural automation.

www.newyorker.com...

news.yahoo.com...

originally posted by: CoyoteAngels
Many young men in my generation worked summers on farms and paid for college by doing that. Why cant we have a minimum wage for students?

We do have a minimum wage and I mentioned why your 'back in my day' aspect no longer applies. Are you willing to pay more?

originally posted by: CoyoteAngels
a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Many young men in my generation worked summers on farms and paid for college by doing that. Why cant we have a minimum wage for students?

LOL, there aren't enough students who would pick fruit period, regardless of pay. Pretty sure farmers wouldn't want to deal with them even if thier pay was subsidized completely by another entity.

Farmers can't screw around and have safe spaces and days off. It's a time-sensitive business. Not to mention it would take 1000 American "students" to do the work of 100 migrants, and Im being conservative as hell with that ratio.

FWIW

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

If I wasn't clear, what would be wrong with a LOWER minimum wage for students?

a reply to: putnam6

It wasn't that long ago that young people were willing to work hard and pay for their own college and if they got married with kids, they worked to support them.

We took a wrong turn when we started paying people not to work, and making excessive loans to attend college.

Why can't we turn back?

originally posted by: CoyoteAngels
If I wasn't clear, what would be wrong with a LOWER minimum wage for students?

Why would they work for less?

originally posted by: CoyoteAngels
a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Many young men in my generation worked summers on farms and paid for college by doing that. Why cant we have a minimum wage for students?

Yes , Good Idea . FDR Created the CCC back in the 1930's to Help America Out of the Great Depression . People Need Jobs Not Only to Support their Families , but to Also have Good Non Depressive Mental Health along with a Purpose in Life to Keep the Country's Economy and Defensive Military Strength as a Nation Intact.........

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

This was the case in previous generations. Maybe before there was so much student loan money available.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: CoyoteAngels
If I wasn't clear, what would be wrong with a LOWER minimum wage for students?

Why would they work for less?

Because they would have to, no?

Same incentive that drives the illegal migrants to work.

Did that sound harsh? Yes, yes it did...lol

originally posted by: CoyoteAngels
This was the case in previous generations.

When the talkies were a quarter and that kind of stuff? What person in their right mind will work for less when they can get paid more for doing something else? Especially if it is manual labor.

originally posted by: MykeNukem
Because they would have to, no?

Why would they 'have to'? What is the economic compulsion for a student to work for less than the minimum wage like the other poster suggested?

originally posted by: putnam6
As for the land grab aspect... no doubt there were some farms damaged by Ian, some may have sold, and some need time to recover. It was just 6-7 months ago

abcnews.go.com...

1.8 billion in damage it might be a year or 2 to get back up to speed. The point being that they have a glut of unskilled labor and fewer jobs for them.

www.landandfarm.com...

Florida has 200,000 acres of farmland for sale based on recent Land And Farm data. The combined market value of farmland for sale in Florida is $3 billion, with the average price of farmland for sale in being $455,574. Discovery more Florida farmland and land for sale near you on Land and Farm. Our extensive database of properties includes a wide variety of land types, from rural acreage and farms to commercial properties and recreational retreats.

furthermore

www.fdacs.gov...

Florida Agriculture Overview and Statistics
Florida’s 47,500 farms and ranches utilize 9.7 million acres and continue to produce a wide variety of safe and dependable food products. From the citrus groves and the nurseries in Central and South Florida, to the vegetables in various regions around the state, to the cattle and calves throughout the state, these farms and ranches provide Florida with a large and stable economic base. In 2021 Florida ranked first in the United States in total floriculture sales and in the value of production for sweetcorn, foliage plants for indoor use, Valencia oranges, sugarcane, fresh market tomatoes and watermelons. Florida ranked second nationally in the value of production for bell peppers, grapefruit, all oranges, strawberries and non-Valencia oranges. The state ranked fourth in cabbage, cantaloupe and peanuts.

Lastly... I have a relative that works in agriculture and talks with farmers all throughout his region, most farmers want to move away from migrant workers completely. Pretty soon automation will take more and more migrant jobs. Already there are fruit-picking drones that can harvest 24 hours a day 7 days a week, in all kinds of conditions.

www.automate.org...

Challenges to Adopting AgTech
The adoption rate of automation in agriculture is on the rise. A new report hosted by ReportLinker says the global agricultural robots market size is $4.9 billion in 2021, which is a significant market. But this is expected to grow to $11.9 billion by 2026, at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.3 percent.

Clearly, automation in agriculture is expected to boom, but there are several challenges to adoption, the biggest being cost. For example, a driverless tractor is an expensive product just beginning its path to commercialization. But investing in even less expensive automated solutions such as automated milkers or soil sensor arrays can still put serious pressure on any agribusiness with already tight margins.

The other main hurdle to adopting automation in agriculture is trust and reliability. For a farmer or rancher to invest in an automated sprayer or a survey drone for their land, they have to trust that the equipment will do its job for many years to extract the best return on investment. And they must trust that the machine will not damage their crops, animals, or people.

Who is Automating Agricultural Operations
Currently, the largest segment of agricultural automation by type is autonomous (driverless) farm vehicles. While the adoption rate is still quite low because of cost, this technology is expected to eventually be a dominating force in agricultural automation because it's able to provide such a huge boost in productivity.

The fastest-growing automation segment in agriculture is field farming because drones are much more common. Therefore, it's easy to see the benefits of drone technology in agriculture, and this is expected to drive field farming to almost 30 percent of the segment’s market share within the next five years.

North America is currently the largest market for automation in agriculture, mainly because high labor costs and a shortage of workers have forced many operations to embrace robotics, sensors, and other forms of agricultural automation.

www.newyorker.com...

news.yahoo.com...

Great Post . This " Information " has Merit , Not Needing to be Picked by Human Hands . People have to just Realize it .

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Because they wouldn't be getting paid more for something else if there was a student based minimum wage.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: CoyoteAngels
This was the case in previous generations.

When the talkies were a quarter and that kind of stuff? What person in their right mind will work for less when they can get paid more for doing something else? Especially if it is manual labor.

That question is simple to answer but that question get’s asked way too much.

For those that don’t understand, back in the old days, if you could make $20 sitting in an air conditioned store, and get to see some pretty girls, or guys, would you pick that, or would you spend your summers hunched backed picking bug infested fruit and vegetables?

It’s not hard. Of course anyone in their right mind would choose almost EVERYTHING over dirty manual labor.
I’m not putting down the job, because it is needed, but it’s a physically intensive job.

If you did want to do physical labor, there are also sooo many warehouses that will pay you double what field will and there ARE a lot of young people that work there. I know because my son did it just out of high school and many of his coworkers were also young.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Back when talkies were a quarter, there wasn't a welfare system that paid people to have children and support them until school age. Maybe that was the first wrong turn?

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: MykeNukem
Because they would have to, no?

Why would they 'have to'? What is the economic compulsion for a student to work for less than the minimum wage like the other poster suggested?

I'm just going by the premise suggested.

That if you lowered the Minimum Wage for Students, then, that would basically force them to either work for less, or gain more skills for the company to justify a higher wage, since a minimum wage doesn't stop a company from paying more if they deem it good for business.

I'm not agreeing with it, just following the thought process.