Agriculture insiders and policymakers are facing a critical labor shortage that threatens national food supplies. According to 95-year-old civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, the Trump-era deportation efforts have chilled the immigrant workforce, exacerbating already fragile farm labor conditions.

Huerta argues that pursuing a "100percent American workforce" without competitive wages and respect for agricultural labor is unrealistic. She highlights that many undocumented workers earn only $30-35K annually, with no benefits or union rights-a situation she condemns as "a step above slavery." During a protest in Bakersfield, California, dozens were arrested-most with no criminal record-illustrating the severity of current enforcement tactics.

She proposes a radical shift: offer U.S. citizens $50 per hour for farm labor-similar to prison guard wages-to attract unemployed Californians previously drawn into the crumbling prison system. This could help fill labor gaps and reduce homelessness and recidivism in the Central Valley.

Additionally, Huerta debunks the idea that automation (robots) can replace human pickers anytime soon, injecting a touch of irony: "I guess I could just wait until they get enough robots to do the farm work."

On pesticide policy, she presses for reform, specifically targeting paraquat, a chemical banned in Europe but still used in Kern County. Paraquat has been linked to cancer and Parkinson's disease; Huerta calls for mandatory labeling and a long-overdue ban to protect both farm workers and communities from exposure.

Through her decades of organizing-from co-founding the United Farm Workers to helping end the Bracero Program-Huerta has seen shifts in the labor force. She recalls how earlier guest worker systems denied H-2A workers the right to unionize or attain permanent immigration status, deepening exploitation. Now, growers use this dynamic to maintain low costs and avoid wage increases.

Actively opposing a proposed detention center in California City, Huerta offers an olive branch: "If we value farm work, U.S. citizens will do it-so long as we pay fairly and train properly." Her message is clear: dignity, wages, and policy reform are essential to revitalizing American agriculture.