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DogMan says
There is no area in this country that is not having their crops picks. Someone one is picking them.
These farmers beg to differ
Sixth-generation farmer Lisa Tate estimated 70% of her workforce has failed to show up, fearing raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“If 70% of your workforce doesn’t show up, 70% of your crop doesn’t get picked and can go bad in one day. Most Americans don’t want to do this work,” Tate told Reuters. “Most farmers here are barely breaking even. I fear this has created a tipping point where many will go bust.”
https://foodinstitute.com/focus/crops-rotting-in-fields-with-undocumented-farmworkers-gone/Also see
https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/11/immigration-california-farms/ Ian Chandler "said he’s built up a loyal seasonal workforce for his Wasco County operation called CE Farm Management, about 90 minutes from Portland, with the same people coming year after year and staying in touch with birth announcements and Christmas cards in between," said the report. "But this year half of them did not arrive, and many of his neighbors were scrambling for pickers too. All told, Chandler said he will lose $250,000-$300,000 of revenue, left to rot on the trees."
https://www.rawstory.com/ice-farm-workers/ Blueberry shortage in California is emblematic of a much wider crisis. Blueberries, a premium, perishable crop concentrated in the Central Coast and Sacramento Valley, require precise, skilled manual harvesting. Following intensified ICE raids, farmers in 2024–2025 reported significant fields left unpicked, triggering not only a local blueberry supply crisis but also major export shortfalls.
This pattern is repeated across tomatoes, strawberries, leafy greens, and other berries. Tons of high-value produce were left unharvested and ultimately became wastage. Are crops rotting in the fields in California? The answer is: absolutely, and in substantial, measurable volumes
https://farmonaut.com/usa/ice-raids-trigger-labor-shortage-rotting-crops-in-ca-farms Tax Receipts Are Down Almost 30 Percent in One California Farm Town, Where Immigrants Are Afraid to Go Out and Some Longtime Workers Are Weighing Self-Deportation During Second Trump Administration
https://www.independent.com/2025/11/30/how-fear-of-trumps-immigration-blitz-is-changing-life-in-california-farm-towns/Farmer Nick Billman of Donna told Nexstar’s KVEO that the raids are keeping employees from coming to work, leaving farmers without any help. He said things started getting worse just weeks ago.
“I would say within the last three weeks, it started to slow, but this last week has been huge,” Billman said. “That is when it has been zero people wanting to come out and be exposed, to be able to be picked up, whether they are legal or illegal.”
... This, as Billman reported having zero workers on his farm for the past week.
“One hundred percent. One hundred percent don’t want to come out of fear of being picked up even if they are doing it the right way,” Billman said.
https://myfox8.com/news/100-percent-havent-shown-up-to-work-due-to-immigration-raids-texas-farmer-says/
