April 23rd, 2024
Matt Teagarden, CEO of the Kansas Livestock Association, journeyed to Washington, D.C. on April 16-17. He joined a Capitol Hill briefing, urging the Biden administration to extend work permits to immigrants deeply rooted in American families and U.S. communities. Teagarden’s advocacy reflects the growing call for policies recognizing long-term immigrant residents’ contributions. Matt stated, “Long-term immigrants are already making invaluable contributions to agriculture and many more have the skills to fill the gaps in our workforce and would do so, if given the opportunity of a work permit. American farmers and ranchers produce the safest, most abundant food supply in the world, but unless we fix the labor crisis we will see more crops rotting in the field, livestock operations unable to grow and more of our food production moving overseas. Farmers and ranchers need workers.”
