The News
America urgently needs immigration reform to support US farmers, Land O’ Lakes CEO Beth Ford said Thursday.
Farmers want to support US President Donald Trump’s economic agenda, but there is “real concern” over possible labor shortages and lost profits.
“What needs to be recognized is the necessity that [farmers] have labor available,” Ford said. “Immigration reform, broadly, is critical.”
Farmers “invest in this country,” Ford told Semafor’s Liz Hoffman at the World Economy Summit in Washington, DC, adding that the industry is overrepresented in the military. “At the same time, there’s real concern. The first thing they talk to me about is labor, immigration, [and] the lack of available labor for their farms.”
Immigrants make up roughly half of America’s farm laborers, said Ford, who chairs the Business Roundtable’s immigration committee.
Commodity prices have slid in recent years and many farmers don’t turn a profit; with Trump’s tariffs now threatening exports, Ford said she is most worried about 2026, and how duties will reshape the trade landscape.
Already, Beijing’s rocky relationship with Washington had pushed Chinese importers to seek out alternative sources to the US, with Brazil becoming a “key partner.”
“What market access is available to us depending on what the trade arrangements are, and then what about the long-tail issues associated with the implications of not having export markets?” Ford asked. “The key export market for corn is Mexico. So you can understand these trade arrangements are critical for the profitability of the American farmer.”
In this article:
Know More
Ford said she wants to see more investment in agricultural research to develop products like drought-tolerant seeds.
She pointed to China’s hefty spending on agricultural research, saying that, “they’re investing in their food system, they want food security,” while investment in the US remains “at 1970s levels.”
“We should think of this as national security spending, it is in our best interest,” she said.
The Semafor View
European markets have suffered from a lack of competitiveness with the US and China, with just a handful of tech startups to come out of the continent. But countries everywhere are facing similar business challenges as they transition to cleaner energy and chase technological dominance.