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Highlands Today

Citrus Keeps Migrant Workers Employed

JASMINA MEYER/Highlands Today

Sabino Cabonas picks oranges at the DeSoto City grove of Robert J. Barben Inc. off of Moon Ranch Road recently in Highlands County.

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By JOE SEELIG

Highlands Today

Published: March 10, 2009

AVON PARK - Despite the economy, migrant workers are finding jobs locally - at least in citrus.

While it's difficult to get solid numbers on how many migrant workers are in Highlands County, experts say there are enough jobs for them in the orange groves.

Ray Royce, executive director of the Highlands County Citrus Growers Association, said they are probably seeing the same numbers of seasonal workers as previous years.

"I'm told there is a good supply of labor," said Royce. "There are a lot more H-2A workers."

The H-2A temporary agricultural program established a means for agricultural employers who anticipate a shortage of domestic workers to bring nonimmigrant foreign workers to the U.S. to perform agricultural labor or services of a temporary or seasonal nature, according to the United States Department of Labor Web site.

Royce said that while there was some spotty crop damage, about 98 percent of the citrus crop fared well this winter.

Will Bennett is the manager of ME H2A LLC, also known as Management Experts Inc., a labor management firm in Avon Park.

"There are overall less migrant workers from Mexico," said Bennett on Monday. "Here, locally, I've actually seen an increase. Usually this time of year the crews are decreasing in size, but I've actually seen an increase in some of the citrus crews we handle."

That is due in part, Bennett said, because the citrus season has been somewhat delayed.

"One crew had 40 more positions than they had last year," he said.

Migrant workers in the tourism industry are down and there are very few working in the construction industry.

"Those are the guys being hit the hardest," he said.

The company recently had a contract for 80 jobs, for which 300 people applied. Of those, all 300 were eventually hired, Bennett said, due to people leaving.

"Every single one was hired," he said. "Maybe 20 percent are still there."

El Paso Tienda, located at 209 U.S. 27 N., Avon Park, is owned by Juve Cendejas. Maria Cendejas is the manager.

They sell gasoline, have a convenience store, sell workers' supplies, as well as run a small Mexican restaurant with authentic Tex-Mex cuisine.

About 70 percent of their customers are people who work in the agricultural field, Maria Cendejas estimated Monday.

"Business is less than last year, but it is not bad," she said. "The most important thing is our food."

They had six busloads of workers arrive after 5 a.m. Monday morning, so the breakfast business is booming.

Margarita Ojeda, Lake Placid center coordinator for the Redland Christian Migrant Association, said Monday that she has heard of some families moving back to Mexico due to lack of work.

The RCMA helps migrant families by providing free childcare for kids from 6 weeks of age to 4 or 5, and also helps them with transportation, school applications, translations, Medicaid and the Head Start program.

"We had two families that told us they were dropping their children and moving back to Mexico because they could not find work," Ojeda said. "They used to work in a plant nursery - but they were basically looking for any agricultural job.

"We still see a big number of families around but I hear them talking about going back to Mexico or going to another state or county to find work."

A number of the undocumented migrant workers are being displaced because some companies are hiring the H-2A workers, she said.

Highlands Today reporter Joe Seelig can be reached at (863) 386-5834 or jseelig@highlandstoday.com .

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