GEORGIA STILL SUFFERING FROM FARM LABOR SHORTAGES

Surprise surprise... Not! A year after HB87 Georgia farmers are still suffering a shortage of agricultural workers. The law basically took away seasonal workers they desperately need. Many farmers are facing problems that may cause them to lose entire crops. Many migrant workers left the state never to return, and others did not stop by Georgia on their way to other states such as Florida. One solution they were offered was probation workers who could come in and help them harvest. That did not help because probationers refused the work. Now some inmates are helping but the problem is in the learning curve. The migrant workers are very skilled and can do the tasks much quicker than the other workers and in farming time is of the essence. A lot of money is going to be wasted and a lot of crop may be gone this year.