So far, probationers don’t cotton to farm life
How’s it going down on the farm?
The first batch of probationers started work last week at a farm owned by Dick Minor, president of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. In the coming days, more farmers could join the program.
So far, the experiment at Minor’s farm is yielding mixed results. On the first two days, all the probationers quit by mid-afternoon, said Mendez, one of two crew leaders at Minor’s farm.
“Those guys out here weren’t out there 30 minutes and they got the bucket and just threw them in the air and say, ‘Bonk this, I ain’t with this, I can’t do this,’” said Jermond Powell, a 33-year-old probationer. “They just left, took off across the field walking.”
Mendez put the probationers to the test last Wednesday, assigning them to fill one truck and a Latino crew to a second truck. The Latinos picked six truckloads of cucumbers compared to one truckload and four bins for the probationers.
Just as an aside, Minor Brothers Farm is listed as the second largest recipient of federal farm subsidies in the state, collecting a total of $11.4 million between 2000 and 2009.
– Jay Bookman
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622 comments Add your comment
Adam
June 22nd, 2011
4:38 pm
TruthBe: You said this:
And I think the black leadership in this country needs to start being held accountable for the high rate of criminality of young black men rather than blaming society.
You assume they blame society, clearly indicating that this is all they do. This is not true. There are many attempts made to lift up their communities and get away from crime.
That is the suggestion I was referring to.
ODDOWL
June 22nd, 2011
4:46 pm
These extreme right wing rascally, Republicans are ignorant, hardheaded cutthroat capitalists. I guess they thought or felt that lazy arse American men would actually go out into the fields and pick fruits and vegetables ??? These shiftless American men are shysters who trick hard working Women into taking care of them. Many unemployed American men are fat, out of shape and soft. If they work in the fields for any length of time, The farms of Georgia will become heart attack central. If the Native born field workers are stricken with a major organ failure, lets hope that he’s near a large city with a trauma center because there’re none in the rural areas. We the idiots in the state of Georgia voted down the trauma center tax. Georgia farmers must force Gov. Deal, no deal and the tea party Republican controlled state Legislature to repeal the anti-immigration law and invite the Latino farm workers back and give them a hefty wage increase. Mexican workers do twice as much work as American workers for half the pay. Republicans embrace the merit system for rich white men but not for non-rich Americans. Proof… Non-rich American workers increased productivity by 80% over the last 30 years but salaries only increased by $2.00 an hour. Rich Americans increased their wealth by over 250% in the same time period.
Ga. immigrant crackdown backfires (Politico) | NewsInformed.com
June 22nd, 2011
4:54 pm
[...] Minor’s farm was the second-largest recipient of federal farm subsidies in Georgia, receiving $11.4 million between 2000 and 2009, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. [...]
Ga. immigrant crackdown backfires (Politico) | News Bulletins
June 22nd, 2011
4:54 pm
[...] Minor’s farm was the second-largest recipient of federal farm subsidies in Georgia, receiving $11.4 million between 2000 and 2009, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. [...]
TruthBe
June 22nd, 2011
4:56 pm
ODDOWL, Liberal Lazy Corrupt Democrats are dishonest and have no morals. And by the way liberals are too lazy and stupid to work at all. They want the over taxed middle class to give it to them. You know tax and spend.
Mr Right
June 22nd, 2011
5:00 pm
My guess is Mr Minor is very happy with the status quo as far as labor costs go.
I am friends with the Minor brothers who own Minor farms as I am with the owner of a huge dairy farm. They just want good dependable help which is just about impossible to find locally.
Mr Right
June 22nd, 2011
5:04 pm
ODDOWL
June 22nd, 2011
4:46 pm
What a incoherent rant!
BigHuey
June 22nd, 2011
5:11 pm
Please somebody running for President support bring back the Poll Tax.
debbie
June 22nd, 2011
5:29 pm
I guess the old cliche that mexicans are lazy and blacks steal isn’t totally accurate. It looks like the blacks are the lazy ones! Who does the stealing then?
TruthBe
June 22nd, 2011
6:05 pm
debbie, Career corrupt liberal spend and tax democrats, old fart republicans, and greedy no morals wallstreet thugs like Obama’s master George Soros. That’s who steals.
bman
June 22nd, 2011
7:23 pm
they quit in 30 minutes? no wait…they quit during the first 2 days? lol….
Radney
June 22nd, 2011
9:23 pm
This is the thing about the Spanish. Unless they are 3rd or 4th generation, they will work hard with their hand out for more work. There needs to be a way to let them know they are good decent people. If I were an employer, I would only hire them. God Bless Them.
vuduchld
June 22nd, 2011
10:40 pm
Ok, so why is this news? Anyone with a lick of common sense knows that that probationers would rather cook meth in the suburbs than pick cotton in South Jawja. You pilgrims never cease to amaze me with your stupidity.
Gandalf the Wise
June 23rd, 2011
1:10 am
Let me see, people on probation are on parole, because they are hard workers? NO because they are to lazy to seek real employment. Big suprise!
Send all them illegals back home, we don’t need or want them here!
Gandalf the Wise
June 23rd, 2011
1:12 am
I bet most of thse paroles are democratics! Any takers? Democratic Party, the party that held down the south for over 90 years. Repubican Party, that party that ended slavery! Which do you prefer?
Gandalf the Wise
June 23rd, 2011
1:22 am
Organization of the Islamic Conference has 57 member states and 3 states that are referred to as observer states. Barry is a red blooded american? Or is this stuff that he learnt in Muslim School with his sL*t mother’s 2nd muslim husband?
Misonist
June 23rd, 2011
9:06 am
more lazy american workers, who would rather have free govt handouts? what else is new??
jskdn
June 23rd, 2011
12:35 pm
Who could have guessed that many of those who have been in prison might have character flaws that would make them less-than-stellar workers? But the work habits of society’s dregs don’t entitle employers to hire illegal immigrants.
Latina & Legal
June 23rd, 2011
1:34 pm
Same reason corporations are outsourcing American jobs—-they can get more (work) for less (salary).
dj
June 23rd, 2011
5:20 pm
Where was the whip? That would have kept the parolees from leaving.
bookthief
June 24th, 2011
4:06 am
Just read about your troubles in our local paper. Man – glad we’ve got a Gov. that understands Ag business. You guys are in a world of self made hurt.
NJ
June 24th, 2011
4:05 pm
It’s fun to watch Republicans try what has already been tried and failed throughout history. Its the nature of Conservatives to lack the ability to come up with new, ideas. That’s called ‘Progress”.
They will of course make many excuses for this idea not working, they will blame it on liberals, progressives and immigrants, everything except the fact that a bad idea that has never worked will not work no matter how many times you try it.
The states that already have dealt with this went through the same thing. Local farmers either went out of business, or they moved their businesses out of state. In the southwest, the local farmers simply found it was less expensive to rent farm land in Mexico and hire the workers on the other side of the border.
When your entire food source ends up being outsourced, you might as well pack it in and become part of another country. No nation has survived long when it has to import it’s food.