Farm Labor

I have been reading an article about the latest rules the obama department of labor is trying to impose on farms. The rules limit what farmers can allow teens to do on farms. I have to wonder if the obama administration is trying to force farmers to use immigrant labor, whether legal or illegal. Like many people, I believe obama prefers foreigners, legal or illegal, to US CITIZENS for some reason. Many of his policies seem to support that belief. Of course, I'm all for any employer hiring US CITIZENS rather than illegal immigrants. Hiring US CITIZENS would probably cost more and there may not be as many looking for seasonal farm work or be as willing as immigrants to relocate to follow the work.

Now the labor department wants to limit what teens might be able to do on farms by imposing age restrictions on certain tasks like driving tractors, using other equipment, working with livestock, or working at heights above 6 feet. Will these new regulations prevent teens from having summer or part-time jobs on farms? Will they discourage teens who like farm work from having their own farms? Will they cause teens to leave family farms to do other work and cause family farms to cease to exist? I don't know. I do know there are way too many teens today that have never done a hard days work, or any work at all. When teens want to farm or carry on the family farm they should be encouraged and have the best training available to them. With modern technology, equipment, and necessary labor force, US farms should be able to help eliminate hunger in the US. Buy American grown produce and support our farmers!