THE PRODUCE YOU GET AT THE GROCERY STORE. THIS JOURNEY STARTS ON A FARM SOME RIGHT HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA. YEAH, AND THE COST TO GET YOU THOSE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IS STEADILY RISING. WESH 2’S PAMELA COMME TAKES A CLOSER LOOK AT WHY. EVERY DAY AT THIS MOUNT DORA FARM, A GROUP OF WORKERS BEGIN THEIR LONG AND TIRING SHIFT, PICKING STRAWBERRIES. THEY ALL TRAVELED THOUSANDS OF MILES TO DO THIS. IF THEY WERE IN MEXICO RIGHT NOW, WHAT WE PAY THEM IN AN HOUR WOULD BE THEIR DAILY WAGE. OWNER OF HANNAH FARMS, RYAN ATWOOD, SAYS LABOR SHORTAGES ARE THE REASON HE’S HAD TO HIRE WORKERS ON TEMPORARY H-2A VISAS. FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS HAVE EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES WHEN IT COMES TO HIRING PEOPLE, NOT ONLY BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT AVAILABLE, BUT THEY’RE ALSO QUITE EXPENSIVE. WHEN YOU ADD UP ALL THE COSTS OVER OVER THE WHOLE COURSE OF YOUR PERMITTED TIME, BECAUSE YOU APPLY FOR A PERMIT FOR A SEASON. SO SIX MONTHS, EIGHT MONTHS, WHATEVER IT BE, YOU KNOW, IT’S IT’S ABOUT $20 AN HOUR PROBABLY, THAT WE’RE PAYING FOR THESE WORKERS. HE SPENDS ABOUT A QUARTER OF $1 MILLION EVERY YEAR TO HAVE THEM HERE. WE’RE IT’S HARD TO BE PROFITABLE IN FARMING IN AMERICA. AND WE’RE SEEING THAT IF YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, WE’RE LOSING FARMS IN OUR COUNTRY. MARIELENA VALDIVIA WITH MIGRANTS AND MINORITIES ALLIANCE, SAYS SOME GROWERS WHO RELY ON MANUAL LABOR ARE HAVING A HARD TIME KEEPING UP WITH DEMAND. THERE’S A LOT OF ORDERS THAT ARE COMING IN AND A LOT OF COMPANIES CANCEL ORDERS BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE TO FULFILL THE ORDERS THAT ARE REQUIRED. ALL THE SETBACKS, CHALLENGES AND INCREASED COSTS WILL EVENTUALLY BE PASSED DOWN TO THE CONSUMERS ARE THE ONES WHO END UP PAYING THE PRICE OF PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING. ACCORDING TO THE USDA, PRICES FOR FARM LEVEL FRUITS ARE PREDICTED TO INCREASE BY 8.6% IN 2025 AND VEGETABLES BY 1.4%. THERE ARE MANY REASONS FOR THIS, INCLUDING CROPS AFFECTED BY SEVERE WEATHER AND DISEASE. EXPERTS SAY. LABOR SHORTAGES ARE ANOTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTOR. VALDIVIA SAYS NOW THAT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS FOLLOWING THROUGH WITH MASS DEPORTATIONS, FEAR HAS SPREAD IN THESE FARMS AND IT COULD GET WORSE. WITH ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING OUT WITH THE MASS DEPORTATIONS. THERE’S SOME FAMILIES THAT ARE MOVING AS WELL. SO THE SHORTAGE FOR THE FOR THE AGRICULTURE, IT’S IT’S GOING TO BE EVEN GREATER THAN PROBABLY OTHER YEARS THAT WE HAVE SEEN. AND WE’LL PICK A LITTLE BIT OF FRUIT OFF OF THEM. THERE’S A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY IN THE INDUSTRY. IN THE MEANTIME, ATWOOD WILL DO WHAT HE CAN. HE’S CURRENTLY REPLANTING HIS BLUEBERRY FIELDS. WE’RE STARTING TO GET NEW VARIETIES THAT ARE HARVESTABLE, AND WE’RE STARTING TO MAKE THE SWITCH. WHILE IT MIGHT TAKE YEARS TO TRANSITION HIS FIELDS, HE KNOWS IN THE END, RELYING ON MACHINES IS THE SAFEST OPTION BECAUSE THE LABOR CRISIS DOESN’T SEEM TO BE GETTING ANY BETTER. COVERI