Pennsylvania Farmers Decry Immigration Crackdown as Labor Worsens

(PENNSYLVANIA) Pennsylvania farmers are warning that this summer’s immigration crackdown has tipped an already fragile labor market into crisis, with ICE raids rippling through fields, barns, and packing houses at peak harvest. Since July, highly visible enforcement actions—including a raid at a Montgomery County farmers market—have pushed many immigrant laborers to stop showing up for work, leaving crops unpicked and dairy operations short-staffed.

Growers describe a season of lost yield, missed delivery windows, and hard choices about scaling back, selling livestock, or shutting down parts of their business.

Scale of the disruption

The scope of the disruption is stark:

• The U.S. agricultural workforce shrank by about 155,000 workers (7%) between March and July 2025, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
• Pew Research Center estimates a drop of 750,000 immigrant laborers nationwide over the same period.
• In Pennsylvania, farm groups estimate that nearly half of crop farm workers—roughly 30,000 people—may lack legal status, with the dairy and produce sectors hit hardest.
• Several operators report that up to 70% of their crews disappeared within days of the ICE raids, even when no agency contact occurred at their own farms.

“We need people to do the jobs Americans are too spoiled to do,” said Tioga County dairy farmer John Painter, voicing frustration shared across rural communities.

Another dairy producer, Tim Wood, reported selling off 100 head of cattle because he could not find enough workers to milk, feed, and handle herd care. Delivery times from field to market have stretched from 3.5 to 5.5 days, spoilage rates have increased, and retail prices are running about 8% higher year over year as fewer goods move through a slower food chain.

Policy enforcement and labor fallout

The current enforcement drive under President Trump has focused on workplaces with high concentrations of undocumented workers. Officials say this strategy is intended to deter illegal employment and remove people without status, but the actions have had wider effects than the arrests alone.

• Fear spread quickly among workers with mixed-status families and even among lawful residents who worried about being questioned while on the job or during commutes.
• Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said the “disappearance” of workers has created a cascade that now strains food processing and packing plants, which rely on steady farm output.

The administration’s stance coincides with long-standing limits in the agricultural visa system:

• The H-2A program supplies temporary, seasonal workers, but it does not cover year-round jobs such as dairy.
• That gap leaves producers who milk cows 365 days a year with few options to hire legally from abroad.
• Industry leaders have pressed Congress to modernize the program, expanding access for continuous operations and cutting red tape that delays recruiting for short harvest windows. Despite bipartisan interest, no major reform has passed.

Political responses:

• House Agriculture Committee Chair G.T. Thompson (PA) said he will introduce legislation to ease farm labor shortages, building on earlier attempts to reshape H-2A.
• Farm groups welcome the pledge but want quick action, noting that each missed harvest weakens already thin margins.
• Senator John Fetterman has urged a balanced approach: backing strong border controls while opposing raids that sweep up otherwise law-abiding workers who keep food businesses running.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, producers in states with large dairy and specialty crop industries face the steepest risk because their workforces include many employees not covered by current visa categories.

Economic strain and industry response

Immediate impacts on operations include:

• Empty fields and abandoned ripe produce.
• Switching to fewer, less labor-intensive crops.
• Dairy operators consolidating herds or selling animals to match smaller crews.
• Meatpacking and food processing plants cutting shifts as incoming volume falls.

Downstream effects:

• Truckers report inconsistent loads as farm shipments waver.
• Independent grocers in rural towns report more out-of-stock items and spoilage.
• Retail prices are rising and choices are shrinking, especially for perishable produce.

Economists warn that sustained shortages could cause broader price swings and increased food insecurity. Experts including Robert Strauss (Carnegie Mellon) and Michael Marsh (National Council of Agricultural Employers) say that without new legal pathways tied to farm demand, higher grocery prices are likely to persist.

Advocacy groups—such as the National Farm Workers Ministry and the American Immigration Council—note many undocumented farmworkers have lived in the U.S. for years, pay taxes, and fill roles U.S. citizens repeatedly decline. A 2024 Pew Research poll found 75% of registered voters believe undocumented immigrants mostly take jobs Americans do not want.

Employer responses and mitigation strategies:

• Raising wages and offering housing, transport, and flexible shifts to attract local hires or retain remaining staff.
• Cross-training workers and teaching multiple tasks to stretch small teams.
• Lean management tactics: simplified workflows, tighter scheduling, and improved efficiency.
• Investing in automation: in a 2025 national survey, 28% of growers said they plan to invest in automation. Examples include:
  • Robotic milking systems for dairies.
  • Harvest robots piloted by fruit and vegetable growers.

Warning: automation is costly and may favor capital-rich farms, risking consolidation while smaller operations exit.

Community impacts and human costs

Policy choices affect day-to-day life in rural areas:

• Rural schools, clinics, and shops lose foot traffic when seasonal workers skip a region.
• Church leaders report heightened stress in mixed-status households.
• Farmers describe long-time employees—people they consider extended family—who stopped answering phones after raids miles away.

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau representatives say the climate “criminalizes essential workers” and forces farm owners into impossible choices: scale back production during peak demand or risk severe penalties if a worker’s documents are not in order.

Producers are responding by mapping contingency plans for fall and winter:

• Vegetable and orchard growers are testing smaller plantings.
• Dairy farms are adjusting milking schedules and ration plans to maintain herd health with fewer hands.
• Some operators work 16-hour days alongside family members to cover field work previously done by hired crews.
• Internship programs and short-term trainees help with lighter tasks but often lack skills for equipment repair, calf care, or pesticide application.

What farmers say would help now

Key requests from growers:

1. Targeted, humane enforcement that does not scare legally present workers or disrupt harvests without cause.
2. Year-round visa access for sectors like dairy and mushrooms where production never stops.
3. Faster processing and clearer rules in the existing H-2A system so employers can bring in seasonal help in time.
4. Status protections for experienced workers already embedded in U.S. agriculture to stabilize crews and reduce turnover costs.

The official pathway to hire seasonal foreign workers remains the H-2A program run by the U.S. Department of Labor. Employers must:

• Show a lack of available U.S. workers.
• Offer approved wages and housing.

Program complexities:

• Rules are complex and paperwork often takes months—longer than many short harvest windows.
• First-time users face especially long delays.

Employers exploring H-2A can review government guidance: U.S. Department of Labor H-2A Temporary Agricultural Program. Farm associations advise:

• Start well ahead of planting.
• Work with experienced agents or legal counsel to avoid mistakes that can delay worker arrival.

Outlook and wider effects

Many in Pennsylvania still see a path forward if Congress acts. Bipartisan proposals to widen lawful hiring, simplify employer steps, and set clearer worker protections have circulated for years. Such plans would not eliminate the need for border control or workplace checks but could align rules with how farms operate today.

Until reforms occur, farm owners will continue juggling thin crews, rising costs, and tight delivery windows while trying to meet contracts and keep shelves stocked.

Near-term consumer effects:

• Higher prices and fewer choices, especially in quickly spoiling produce.
• Small processors and independent grocers in rural counties may be hit hardest because they cannot spread costs over large volumes.

If labor shortages persist into late fall, economists expect:

• More automation purchases.
• More herd reductions.
• More land left idle.

These changes would ripple beyond Pennsylvania—to feed suppliers, equipment dealers, school lunch budgets, and food bank inventories.

The stakes are practical and immediate: milk pickups rely on precise schedules; fruit must arrive at market at peak color; food safety plans assume enough trained staff on the line. Each missing worker adds friction to these chains.

Farmers emphasize they are not asking for special treatment, but for workable rules and fair enforcement that let them hire the people needed to bring food from field to table. As one producer put it after losing half a crew in July, “Cows don’t stop for politics.”