U.S. farmers fret over Trump's deportation plans

Lifelong farmer Joe Del Bosque knows that America can't live without immigrants, but he worries that many of his countrymen think it can't live with them either. AFP 'Right now the country doesn't know that they do need some of these workers,' California farmer Joe Del Bosque told AFP regarding undocumented farmworkers Economists agree that a mass expulsion could leave him and others like him without enough workers to harvest food -- causing shortages and sending prices skyrocketing. University of Michigan economist David Ortega said -- despite what some politicians say publicly -- it is widely acknowledged in official circles that the entire system is heavily dependent on illegal workers. AFP University of Michigan economist David Ortega said -- despite what some politicians say publicly -- it is widely acknowledged in official circles that the entire agricultural labor system is heavily dependent on illegal workers Farm work is hard, and often done in a difficult environment -- summer temperatures in California can top 40 celcius, while winters in places like Idaho are routinely below freezing. AFP Dairy farmer Tom Barcellos told AFP: 'Those that have the power know we're not going to go raid agriculture, because that's the food source for the American people, and they don't want to raise the cost any more than it needs to be' Del Bosque says he hires around 200 workers during harvest season and finds the process frustrating.