Yes, politicians can overcome partisanship and unite around something: making New York state the next yogurt capital.
However, that can't happen without a new immigration process. And our political leaders have not been able to break through the logjam of inaction on immigration.
Coupled with an enforcement crackdown by the Obama administration, this inertia is leaving farmers across the country in crisis, with too few hands for the harvest this season.
And cows don't milk themselves. That means New York farmers will need more hands.
Compare the promise of this new industry's ability to grow the economy with the reality of an immigration approach that takes away the necessary legal workforce. Dairies are among the most vulnerable to our enforcement-only approach: No program allows them to hire temporary immigrant workers for jobs that otherwise go unfilled.
"The Department of Homeland Security has been doing the job it was hired to do," says Maureen Torrey of Torrey Farms Inc., a 12th-generation family farm in western New York. "By aggressively conducting I-9 audits, they are taking away our experienced and skilled workforce."
Torrey is concerned that not far away is a place willing to fill in the gaps and reap the economic benefits: Canada. "They have a viable workers program that we in this area lack," she says.
If Democrats and Republicans cannot come together on an immigration strategy, the Empire State will not be able to foster its upstate dairy farmers' dreams for a yogurt cluster economy.
That cluster economy is good for all of upstate New York, not just dairy farmers, because each skilled farmworker sustains about three nonfarm jobs -- someone has to package and deliver the fruits of farmworkers' labor. And with a 13 percent poverty rate, upstate New York could use those additional jobs.
New York is by no means alone. It's a good year for apples in the state of Washington, but with no system in place for highly skilled, experienced immigrant farmworkers, growers are racing against time.
"The skilled labor source that we depend on is rapidly disappearing," says Ralph Broetje, president of Washington's Broetje Orchards, one of the largest privately owned orchards in the country. "Somehow we need to have the courage to show some compassion for them and some respect for their work."
Without enough labor, farms in New York, Washington state and elsewhere have made the difficult decision to switch to crops that machines can pick. Such a decision not only eliminates jobs but also takes money out of the local economy.
And Broetje notes that producers already are moving their operations outside of the U.S., to countries such as Peru and China that have an adequate labor supply and are better for the bottom line. Such outsourcing has serious implications for food security.
Farmers have a hard enough job as it is, with uncertain factors such as the weather or the price of fuel determining whether they can meet their bottom line each year. Add an unpredictable supply of labor, and farmers are downright vulnerable.
Farms can always cut back production, but that won't decrease Americans' demand for fresh, unblemished vegetables and fruits on our tables. Perhaps our friends north or south of our borders will help meet that demand.
That's right: If Congress can't come together on an immigration process that makes sense for agriculture, your holiday dessert might be as Canadian as apple pie.
If we want our apple pie and other produce to remain "made in America," the time to act is now. Congress must stop sitting on its hands while farmers watch crops rot in the field, and the Obama administration must offer solutions -- not just I-9 audits that point the weapons of government enforcement on agricultural employers.
These are solvable problems. We need an immigration process that is responsive to our economic needs. For farmers, that means a stable and skilled agricultural workforce.
In our economy and on our dinner tables, all of us will reap the benefits.
Ali Noorani is the Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.