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Chicago Matters

What would happen if there weren’t enough farm workers to work Illinois farms? That prospect has a lot of Illinois farmers worried these days.

The state’s 73,000 farms produce 28 million acres of fruits and vegetables a year. Machines pick a lot of the corn and soybeans that the state is known for. But specialty crops like berries and peppers play a big part in the state’s agriculture economy, too.

And those crops are hand-picked, mostly by Mexican men— at least thirty- two thousand in one season. But the numbers are dwindling.

Chicago Public Radio’s Michael Puente looks at what it would take for Illinois farmers to have the hands they need.

A Season Without Mexicans

What would happen if there weren’t enough farm workers to work Illinois farms?

That prospect has a lot of Illinois farmers worried these days.

Posted on 6.12.2007

Read More About Migrant Farm Workers

Posted on 6.12.2007

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Posted on 6.12.2007

Learn more about the history of immigration in the Chicago community on the Chicago Matters: Beyond Borders timeline. As immigration legislation and reform effects Chicago and the nation, we update the timeline. Check back and follow the progress.

Now in its 17th year, Chicago's award-winning multimedia public affairs series returns in 2007 with Chicago Matters: Beyond Borders to explore the impact of immigration in Chicago and the region.

Chicago Matters is made possible by The Chicago Community Trust, with programming by Chicago Public Radio, WTTW 11, the Chicago Public Library, and The Chicago Reporter.

Visit www.chicagomatters.org for more information.