Horticulture lost an advocate, now the butt of jokes
Sunday, 04 November 2007
By now you’ve heard the story of Sen. Larry Craig. If you didn’t read the newspapers you caught the evening news or heard a radio report.
Or you heard about it from Jay Leno, David Letterman or Jimmy Kimmel. Or you saw some pretty creative re-creations on YouTube.
Todd Davis is former editor, Nursery Management & Production, and 2006 recipient of SNA's Pinnacle Award for industry service.
Long story short: The Idaho Republican was arrested at
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport by an officer investigating a report of indecent activity in a men’s room. Supposedly the incident involved a lot of toe tapping and hand swiping.
Craig pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and resigned on Sept. 1 after the arrest was made public.
And for me, I vow to no longer listen to my iPod while at the airport. While tapping my toes to a Waylon Jennings tune I could be unknowingly sending signals to those around me.
He had our backs
What many of you may not know is how much Craig fought for the nursery industry before his resignation. He was one of the original developers of AgJOBS -- the Agricultural Jobs, Opportunity, Benefits and Security Act bill.
He has introduced it multiple times on the Senate floor and has been a constant advocate for reforming the H-2A program and securing a legal workforce for the agriculture sector.
Craig understood the importance of farm workers. He knew the difficulties that nurseries face in recruiting and maintaining a reliable workforce.
This July he spoke for more than an hour in front of a room full of nursery growers at the ANLA Legislative Conference. After his talk he opened the floor to the audience. He faced tough questions and wasn’t afraid to give answers the crowd didn’t necessarily want to hear. But he was honest.
Just weeks after the comprehensive immigration bill failed on the Senate floor this summer, Craig was at it again, promoting AgJOBS as separate legislation.
What next?
Now it appears our biggest supporter is Sen. Dianne Feinstein. This Democrat from California is viewed as one of the most liberal members of Congress. Who would have thought a small-business interest group like us would find her as our biggest supporter?
Here’s the bottom line: Without Craig blowing his AgJOBS horn on the Senate floor, it’s even less likely we’ll get labor relief any time soon.
Get ready for hard times. If you’re planning an expansion project, take this into consideration.
Americans are going to have to see the immigration problem affecting them personally before they’re ready to act. How about higher food prices, no clean sheets at the hotel or nobody available to clean the airport restrooms?
That last one won’t bother me. I’m never entering one of those again.
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