One of the key issues we have as a nation is a lack of labor for agricultural production. The majority of this has been done by migrants at a pay rate lower than the federal minimum wage. With the implementation of the current administration’s policies towards illegal immigrants we are racing towards a potential food emergency. The problem is not that Americans don’t want to work on farms, it’s that small to medium farms lack the ability to pay an all American workforce at a rate that satisfies the labor performed.
The objective of would be to increase profitability of American farms and ranches, while also increasing the economic output within the communities they reside.
This proposal includes the following:
1.) Begin bringing food production back in the hands of Americans. Many foods are imported into the country that are perfectly capable of being produced and packaged here. Limit the amount of agricultural subsidies imported to increase the food sales of these smaller farms while boosting the economy.
2.) Begin offering 3 forms of federal aid for American farms:
a.) subsidy to help offset the increased wages for American labor.
b.) subsidy to purchase more advanced equipment that can aid in limiting the workforce needed for production.
c.) federal aid to assist with the moving costs of American families with proof of employment on farms/ranches
3.) Begin investing in Artificial Intelligence for the purpose of agriculture. As we create better equipment and softwares for farmers we can increase production yield, as well as reduce labor costs.
As is clear I’m not a policy writer by any means. These are my thoughts on how we can begin reviving our agricultural industry and taking the steps to update our infrastructure. The small, family owned farms are the backbone of our nation. If we can give them a boost and invest in their future the country as a whole will be lifted as a result.