Oregon Public Broadcasting

The down economy and housing bust might have an unexpected benefit for Northwest farmers. Unemployed construction workers could turn to agricultural jobs this spring and summer.

That would be welcome in Northwest farmcountry, where growers have seen a worker shortage for the last few years. Correspondent Anna King has the story.

When the housing industry was booming, migrant workers gravitated to the higher wages and non-nomadic lifestyle of construction work. But now those jobs are gone. And the workers are returning to the ag jobs they left behind.

At least that’s the story in California. Farmers down there report they are having to turn people away for the first time in years.

Northwest growers hope that trend holds true for them too.

Alan Schreiber of Eltopia, Washington, heads the state’s asparagus commission. He says the down economy may provide more farmworkers this year, but in the long term he still wants immigration reform.

Alan Schreiber: “We can’t get people that are citizens of the United States to cut asparagus. It is simply too hard of work. If anybody that is a U.S. citizen that is interested in cutting asparagus that is willing to cut asparagus, you have them call me.”

Schreiber says he’s not waiting for any political solution. He’s hoping a mechanical asparagus harvester will be ready for the fields this summer or next.