One of the biggest stories of the year has been the rise in inflation, which has caused wide-spread economic pain. Outside gas prices, food is maybe the most visible place we see those increased costs. This is why we see Sen. Michael Bennet’s Affordable and Secure Food Act is an important piece of legislation that should be passed as soon as possible.

The Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and several agriculture businesses are calling on Congress to approve the bill before the end of the year, according to reporting by The Daily Sentinel’s Charles Ashby. Getting this legislation signed into law early will give our producers more ability to plan for the next growing season.

The thrust of the act, which Bennet introduced on Thursday, is to reform the nation’s H-2A migrant worker rules in ways to make the program more predictable and affordable to farmers. It would allow agriculture workers to obtain a green card after a decade of work in the industry.

It also opens the door to allow year-round work visas for the first time and would create a national electronic verification system for all agricultural employment.

“U.S. farmers are facing tremendous pressures from rising fuel and other input prices, making it difficult to stay in business,” said Bruce Talbott, a Palisade fruit grower and president of the association. “Passage of this bill would ensure a steady supply of agricultural employees, so that farms can continue to provide the American public with quality, U.S.-grown food.”

Producers need a stable and available workforce to be able to efficiently produce food. Some companies have said they plan to plant less or have been unable to harvest all their crops due to a shortage of workers. This will naturally lead to higher prices.

“Without the ability to access hard-working, skilled labor, crops are being left in the field, opportunities to increase production and lower costs are being wasted,” Land O’Lakes said in a statement. “Nearly 20% of U.S. produce never left the farm this year due to a lack of farm labor. We have reached a tipping point.”

We need to do something to stabilize prices, especially for food, which is something we can’t simply go without. If producers think this bill will help them get the workers they need to get their crops from the field into grocery stores, then it needs to happen.

With unemployment low and inflation high, we need to have immigrant workers available to help our farmers get their product to market. We will all benefit from this kind of legal immigration. We urge Congress to take up Sen. Bennet’s bill and get it passed.

Grand Junction Daily Sentinel Editorial Board

Read the original article here.