Patience of Job

Sharon Hughes of the National Council of Agricultural Employers is one of those rare people who is very calming to talk to. She always seems to have great composure. I never get the sense she is going to scream and pull her hair out. It's a good thing, or her work in lobbying for AgJobs legislation may have driven her mad by now.

She told me this morning that the latest word from Capitol Hill is that the introduction of comprehensive immigration reform legislation has been delayed one week, and perhaps two weeks. Both the House and Senate are expected to introduce similar bills on comprehensive legislation, and AgJobs is expected to be attached to the legislation as it begins to progress.
"Right now we are trying to encourage all the growers to keep up the drumbeat," she said. A shortage of workers and lost crops are a reality for more and more growers, and Hughes noted apple growers were lobbying Congress hard last week on the issue. Hughes said President Bush has made immigration a talking point on his Latin American trip.
"He is really pushing to get comprehensive done, and whatever weight he adds to the issue will benefit us as well." she said.