Farmers Crossing The Border - To Mexico

[Omaha Steve]

Two videos at link.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/09/eveningnews/main4004958.shtml

Is The Land Of Plenty Shifting South? Call It Reverse Immigration

SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, Mexico, April 9, 2008

(CBS) The Mexican state of Guanajuato has fertile land and a mild climate. For years, however, poverty there has led many north to find work on farms in the United States.

But now there is movement across the border the other way, reports CBS News correspondent John Blackstone. Steve Scaroni is an American farmer who has moved to Mexico.

"It's a very sad situation that, you know, at 50 years old, I've had to come down here in a sense, start over, to be able to complete my American dream," Scaroni said.

Scaroni now divides his time between Mexico and big farms he still runs in United States. He says he was forced to start moving to Mexico because an immigration crackdown made it increasingly difficult to get workers in Arizona and California.

"We just can't get enough labor, every day, on a consistent basis to meet our production demands," he said.

The Western Growers Association says farmers in Arizona and California often need up to 30 percent more workers than they are able to hire.

FULL story at link.

[Tippy]

1. Who would have thought 20 years ago., it would come to this. n/t

[Igel]

2. I knew I read this story before. 9 September 2007.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/05/us/05export.html?_r=1&fta=y&oref=slogin
Short on Labor, Farmers in U.S. Shift to Mexico
By JULIA PRESTON
Published: September 5, 2007
CELAYA, Mexico — Steve Scaroni, a farmer from California, looked across a luxuriant field of lettuce here in central Mexico and liked what he saw: full-strength crews of Mexican farm workers with no immigration problems.
<more at link>

You'd think CBS would at least find a different farmer to interview, since there's such a rush to move to Mexico.