Short of Workers, Sweet Corn Charlie Turns to H-2A
Published: Friday, July 15, 2022
Sweet Corn Charlie's was established in Millersburg by Chuck and Tami Mohler in 1986. They employ two major factions of workers, pickers and marketers. The company began with 135 different salespersons for many areas. Today, they employ 43 people for only eight markets.
"This operation would not run without H-2A workers," Chuck said. His entire picking crew is made up of 12 H-2A employees from Jamaica and South Africa.
Agricultural labor shortages are happening across the United States because local people lack the desire to work in the industry, Chuck said. Not only do they not want to work in agriculture, but there is less interest in working full-time at all, he added.
The Indiana Farm Bureau and the American Business Immigration Coalition recently hosted a round table discussion about agricultural labor shortages and the role of H-2A workers in keeping farms alive.
"What has to be done is the welfare system has to be shut down by the parents and by the government," Chuck said.
"My H-2A crew shows up every day. They're here to work," he said. Most farmers are using the H-2A program, he added.
Andray Headley, Jamaica, started as an H-2A worker at Sweet Corn Charlie's four years ago after a friend referred him to the Mohlers. After his initial hire, he has returned every summer.
"I learn so much about planting. I like to learn new stuff," Headley said. He also said he learns a lot from Chuck and he thinks it's a great business to work for.
Chuck said that Headley and the other H-2A employees are all good quality, hard workers. The problem, he said, is that local people are not applying for jobs.
"Labor shortages are limiting our production," Chuck said. "We don't have as many markets open as we like because of the lack of people. Sometimes we have to close the ones we do have because people won't show up to run them."
The Mohlers cannot raise all of the produce they grow because of a lack of workers. They used to raise their own green beans and employed 13-14 pickers each year, but now they have to source all of their green beans from other growers.
"Young people used to make a lot of money. They would make $100 in the morning. Today, they just won't show up," Chuck said. One reason he cites for this is that high school athletics require year-round practices, which limits their ability to hold a job.
The labor shortages have progressively been affecting Sweet Corn Charlie's and other farms, Chuck said. "It really hit us during the Obama administration."
"It's not easy in this business anymore," he said. Last year, the Mohlers lost money and Chuck said many farmers are nearing retirement age and are becoming frustrated with some of the struggles of farming. There are no young people to take the place of farmers, though, he added.
Many children who grow up on farms move away from them as they get older, Mohler said. His own children did so, as did he.
Chuck grew up on a dairy farm but decided to start a vegetable farm after seeing changes in the dairy industry. The changes, he thought, were moving away from the family farm aspect, and that is what he wanted.
In 2020, all of the farm markets did better because they attracted more employee applicants since those workers were considered essential, Chuck said. Last year, Sweet Corn Charlie's was able to open markets for only four days each week instead of six. This year, he hopes to keep them open for five days weekly.
"It's very sad," Chuck said. "Some markets don't open. There are too many consumers and not enough producers."
A reason for this, he said, is because "money is handed out like candy." He has received stimulus checks himself, though, and said they helped his business survive.
Still, "we don't need all this money to live decently," he said. Parents need to start raising their children to work for what they want and to refrain from just giving (money) to them, and not doing that is contributing to labor shortages, he added.
Most of the company's employees are rehired each year, Tami said. To attract newcomers, they place posters and advertisements in schools, at markets and online. The best way for them to get new employees, though, is through referrals.
There are not as many people in the workforce anymore, which is why there is such a labor shortage, Tami said. "I am happy with the amount of people I was able to get this year and the quality of their work."
Total payroll employment for non-farm occupations rose by 372,000 in June with the continuation of an unemployment rate of 3.6 percent according to a report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on July 8.
April hired workers statistics rose 3 percent to 630,000 employees on farms and ranches nationwide, according to the USDA's May labor report. The USDA also said in a written statement that "the agriculture labor force has decreased in recent years, while reliance has grown in the farm sector on migrant farm workers to handle everything from planting to harvest." The statement is a precursor to a 2021 broadcast addressing the issue.
Sweet Corn Charlie's pays well, is a family business and makes the work interesting, fun and exciting, Chuck said.
With labor shortages, limited production and less profit, Chuck, at age 70, is unsure how much longer he will be farming.
"For this country to survive, we have to voluntarily employ Christian farm values and elect government leaders who will stop the welfare giveaway," Chuck said. "If we don't, we're going to lose everything we have."
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