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Eli Kantor is a labor, employment and immigration law attorney. He has been practicing labor, employment and immigration law for more than 36 years. He has been featured in articles about labor, employment and immigration law in the L.A. Times, Business Week.com and Daily Variety. He is a regular columnist for the Daily Journal. Telephone (310)274-8216; eli@elikantorlaw.com. For more information, visit beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com and and beverlyhillsemploymentlaw.com

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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Alabama Peach Farmers Expect Big, Early Crop; Anticipate Need for Large Workforce

Montgomery Advertiser: Alabama farmers are expecting earlier and larger than normal peach crops this year due to a mild winter, the Montgomery Advertiser reports.

As experts say this year’s peach crop could be massive, Chilton County's Sunshine Farms owner Jimmy Durbin said seasonal workers are necessary to get the crops in.

The farm advertises in local papers and gives domestic workers first priority, but has trouble finding locals who want to work. Sunshine Farms hires seasonal workers from Mexico and Guatemala through a federal H2-A immigration relief program.

The farm has worked with the federal program since 1995, dealing with hundreds of pages of paperwork each year. Farm office worker Cindy Phillips said the cost and paperwork might deter some farmers from using with the program.

It remains to be seen how Alabama’s strict new immigration law will impact peach farmers looking for workers.

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