KANSAS CITY, Mo. (NEWS RELEASE) - On Thursday, September 8, at 10am CST, the American Business Immigration Coalition Action (ABIC Action), the Dairy Farmers of America, AmericanHort, the International Fresh Produce Association, US Custom Harvesters, the Kansas Livestock Association, the Livestock Marketing Association and the Kansas Chamber of Commerce will participate in a press event and roundtable entitled “Lower Food Prices, Keep Shelves Stocked: Common Sense Solutions to Kansas and Missouri’s Farm Labor Shortage.”

With Senate negotiations ongoing, the event will call attention to the urgency of fixing Kansas’, Missouri’s and the nation’s farm labor shortage by passing new Senate agriculture workforce solutions.

WHAT:   PRESS CONFERENCE: “Lower Food Prices, Keep Shelves Stocked: Common Sense Solutions to Kansas and Missouri’s Farm Labor Shortage.”

WHO:

  • Lee Holtmeier, Linn Willow Creek Dairy, Member of Dairy Farmers of America
  • Matt Teagarden, CEO, Kansas Livestock Association
  • Lyndsi Oestmann, Loma Vista Nursery, Member of AmericanHort
  • Brian Loffredo, President and CEO, Loffredo Fresh Produce Co., Member of International Fresh Produce Association
  • Laura Haffner, Member, US Custom Harvesters 
  • Pierce Bennett, Director of Government and Industry Affairs, Livestock Marketing Association
  • Eric Stafford, Vice President of Government Affairs, Kansas Chamber of Commerce
  • Enrique Sanchez, Intermountain State Director, ABIC - Action

WHEN:      Thursday Sept. 8, 10 a.m. CST

WHERE:    American Royal, 1701 American Royal Court, Kansas City, MO, Governors Conference Room, 2nd Floor of the American Royal Association Offices

MEDIA REGISTER: HERE 

LIVESTREAM: HERE

Background on KS/MO farm labor shortage


According to The American Immigration Council, one in 14 Kansans is an immigrant, but foreign-born residents make up a larger share of the state’s labor force. Meanwhile, the 2022 Kansas Ag Workforce Needs Assessment Survey shows that the industry continues to suffer from a labor shortage, with more than 50 percent of ag-related jobs being unfilled.

On the national level, Texas A&M International University recently released data from a new economic study on the link between stabilizing the agricultural workforce and decreasing inflation and consumer prices, showing that ensuring farmers have a stable, secure, reliable, and legal workforce is crucial to keeping America’s grocery shelves stocked, combating inflation, and lowering food prices (including milk, eggs, meat, and produce) for all domestic consumers.

Addressing workforce shortages facing farm employers and stabilizing the H-2A visa application process is also crucial for enhancing our national food security by protecting domestic agriculture production. According to the USDA, next year, for the first time in U.S. history, we as a country will be importing more agricultural goods than we export.

Congressional Action


In 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act with bipartisan support. That was a good start, and now in the Senate, Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Mike Bennet (D-CO) have taken the lead on negotiating improvements on the House's solutions and moving the process forward. Passing new Senate legislation is critical to solving labor shortages facing the Kansas agriculture sector and sustaining the state’s economy as a whole.

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, grocery bills are rising at the fastest pace in more than 40 years, and this year’s July 4th cookouts cost 17% more than last year and 27% more than before the pandemic. Prices for ground beef are up 36% from last summer, chicken breasts up 33%, pork and beans up 33%, pork chops up 31%, lemonade up 22%, and potato salad up 19% -  some families were likely forced to skip a cookout altogether.