NPR reports:

Every so often, Al Juhnke, executive director of the Nebraska Pork Producers Association, says he’ll get a phone call from one of his farmers about how to solve Nebraska’s severe labor shortage..

It goes something like this: “Al, I got a great idea. Why don’t we invite any immigrants? Legal, illegal … I don’t care. Invite them to Nebraska because we have lots of openings out on our farm and we need help.”

Juhnke smiles wearily as he tells the story.

Nebraska is one of the top meat producers in the U.S. It also has one of the worst labor shortages in the country. For every 100 jobs, there are only 39 workers, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Last January, the state’s economic chamber released a report saying Nebraska had no choice but to welcome immigrants to “address the workforce gap.”

Nebraska might need immigrants, but it also voted overwhelmingly for President-elect Donald Trump, who has threatened to carry out mass deportations of people living in the U.S. illegally.

Juhnke says attracting workers to Nebraska is not about wages. The average pay for a meat trimmer is close to $18 an hour — well above the state minimum of $13.50. “These are good paying jobs in the plants,” he says. “People say, ‘Well, just double or triple the pay [and] you’ll get United States citizens to work.’ No, you won’t.”

In the past few years, Juhnke and several dozen other Nebraska advocacy and business groups formed an alliance to demand reform of federal immigration laws and state policy. Among their requests: expanded worker visa programs, and a pathway to residency for immigrants already living in the U.S. [Continue reading…]