Florida farmers struggle as fewer migrant workers want H

PLANT CITY, Fla. - In Plant City , one of Florida’s agricultural hubs, farms depend heavily on migrant labor to keep fields producing and crops from rotting. Local farmer Lee Wroten says nearly all his workforce is made up of H-2A visa holders.

"It’s almost everybody -- all the labor, tractor drivers, even some supervisors are H-2A," he said.

But lately, Wroten says other farmers worry that fewer foreign workers are applying, citing fear of ICE enforcement. They offer the jobs to Americans first, but many don’t want the positions.

"Without the H-2A program, we’d really be in a bad place," he added. "It’s hard work -- it’s hot, sweaty, not sexy, and most Americans don’t want to do that kind of work."

He said without migrant workers, "crops rot in the field."

The backstory:

Wroten