American agriculture employs some 2.5 million workers during a typical year, most for fewer than six months. Three fourths of these farm workers are immigrants, half are unauthorized, and most will leave seasonal farm work within a decade. What do these statistics mean for farmers, for labourers, for rural America? This book addresses the question by reviewing what is happening on farms and in the towns and cities where immigrant farm workers settle with their families. Philip Martin finds that the business-labour model that has evolved in rural America is neither desirable nor sustainable. He proposes regularizing U.S. farm workers and rationalizing the farm labour market, an approach that will help American farmers stay globally competitive while also improving conditions for farm workers.

Philip Martin is professor of agricultural and resource economics, University of California, Davis; chair of the UC Comparative Immigration and Integration Program; and editor of the quarterlies Migration News and Rural Migration News. He is the author of Managing Labor Migration in the Twenty-First Century, published by Yale University Press.

"This excellent book is about immigration and agriculture--the toughest nut to crack in the struggle for immigration reform. Martin presents an alternative to the 'revolving door' farm labor market that absorbs newcomers (often illegal) for a few years until they then move on to find better US jobs. Instead of having this influx from abroad, Martin's thoughtful book lays out a plan to subsidize labor-saving mechanization that will still keep US agriculture competitive in a globalizing word. During my Senate career working with immigration, whenever Phil Martin testified at a hearing--we all listened! It is so important to do that here."--Alan K. Simpson, U.S. Senator, Wyoming (Retired)--Alan K. Simpson