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Wed., June 6, 2012 4:05pm
Prison inmates are working on a Vidalia onion farm in southeast Georgia. It’s part of a state program to fill empty farm jobs. The ‘transitional’ inmates packing onions at the Wayne Durrence Farm in Glennville are getting ready to return to the outside world. A part of their paychecks goes to the state to defray incarceration costs.
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Mon., October 17, 2011 2:47pm
Two bills to overhaul a federal foreign guest worker program are under consideration by the U.S. Congress. Washington is also considering a law mandating the E-Verify employment check system. Following labor shortages during the spring harvest, Georgia’s agriculture industry is keeping a close eye on these bills.
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Tue., October 4, 2011 2:44pm
A University of Georgia survey estimates that the state’s fruit and vegetable farmers saw at least $70 million in crop losses in the spring.
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Mon., August 8, 2011 3:36pm
State officials are eying a North Carolina coop program that makes it easier for small farmers to hire foreign guest workers. Many of Georgia's large growers already employ such workers. The program could help farmers who continue to say Georgia’s new immigration law has scared away migrant workers this summer.
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Thu., June 23, 2011 4:55pm
An agriculture industry group estimates a shortage of migrant labor may wind up costing Georgia fruit and vegetable farmers $300 million in crop losses. Officials worry the total economic impact will be even greater if crops from the next harvest are lost.
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Wed., June 22, 2011 3:33pm
Some probationers don’t want farm jobs. That’s according to state Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black. It was only a week ago when Black said ex-cons could help ease a farm labor shortage.
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Wed., June 8, 2011 11:42am
A survey by an agriculture group has found widespread labor shortages on Georgia farms. Farmers say the new immigration law is causing migrant laborers to leave the state.
