If unemployment is so high, why are there crops rotting in the fields when they are offering to pay

Unemployment is really high all over the country... we all know this. What I would like to know is...

There was an article in the local paper about 2 weeks ago for people to pick apples/fall crops. They were offering to pay $150 per day, paid on a daily basis, if people would show up and pick the apples.

There are now TONS of apples that have gone to waste because of lack of help, and it is freezing here now, so the rest are not worth picking.

If there are NO jobs, why this waste?
Unemployment for:

Washington
9.1%(p) in Sep 2011
Oregon
9.6%(p) in Sep 2011

www.bls.gov...

No help to pick the apples, prices are going to skyrocket now because there won't be enough supply.... and unemployment is way out of control.

Priorities messed up a little?

Here is the local link:
www.tri-cityherald.com...=misearch

Please move to correct forum if needed, thanks

Because manual labor is believed to be "below" most Americans.

Its sick really. The most honest and traditional work ever done is considered 'beneath' alot of people.
Im American and I am emmbarassed for the way that most of the people here view actual work.
Shameful really.

They weren't offering those jobs here or I and many others would have been all over that.
$150 per 8 hour day? That's almost $20 per hour, who the Hell is turning that down?

reply to post by Talltexxxan


I agree. And before anyone says anything negative, Yes, I have picked apples, cherries, raspberries, any crops that grow here. Try picking asparagus for ONE day....... Your back will never be the same LOL

reply to post by JibbyJedi


I jumped on it when I heard, went on my days off to make extra money. 10 hour days, $150 a day. I was going to go today, Thurs and Fri, but it is now 28 degrees and too late.
Too many people are sitting on their comfy couches collecting checks they have no right to.

Because too many people live in a fake world. Cell phones, TV's, computers. They think this is just a big video game or something.

Well, if we consider that over the years, it has been beat into our heads that if you want a good job that you must go to college. That said, who in their right mind would want to go pick apples when they went to school to get a degree and did exactly what was expected of them. This is the type of work that people were told they would not have to do if they went to school and got a degree.

The other side of this is that people are just flat out lazy and why in the hell should they get up off their ass and go pick apples when all they have to do is walk to their mailbox to get their check.

You need a good supply of illegal immigrants. They'd have been happy to show up every day for much less than $150 per 10 hour shift. Works in the south!

reply to post by freespirit1


From what I understand, seasonal crop pickers are paid minimum of $20.00 a day for back gruelling hard work. They are paid something like $2.00 per so many boxes; the highly experienced workers can earn up to $200.00 a day.

Good Question.
I know some will disagree, but I have the feeling that some it not most of the problem is due to sheer lazyness. Why work when you can get unemployment benifits, food stamps, heating assistance, water and electricity assistance? I know of people who say they want a job or they are looking for a job, but show them one, offer them one and they'll hem and hawl over the reason why they can't take it.

I am not speaking for everyone here, just what I have noticed in my own area! I would have picked those apples in a heart beat, who doesn't need the extra money?!

I would have been there, kids in tow! (not to help pick apples, lol)

Wish I was closer. What's wrong with people?

Originally posted by Talltexxxan
Because manual labor is believed to be "below" most Americans.

Its sick really. The most honest and traditional work ever done is considered 'beneath' alot of people.
Im American and I am emmbarassed for the way that most of the people here view actual work.
Shameful really.

well i know they arent offering that kind of money here in KY. I would have been all over that in a heartbeat, thats some sweet money for just picking apples.

That is higher pay than most degree jobs, sounds like a great gig to me.

Good pay, the job benefits humanity, and you don't usually have to screw anyone over to get the work done.
And there is a future in it because people will always need to eat food.

I think something like this is at the center of a sustainable economic future, however we must solve problems like the tendency for many companies to just throw away "ugly" produce and not even allow the farmers to use it to feed the livestock.

There are many problems we need to solve, but overall, basic agriculture is the foundation of civilization and one of the most important issues we can make improvements upon.

Agriculture is sustainability.

Originally posted by Shaade

well i know they arent offering that kind of money here in KY. I would have been all over that in a heartbeat, thats some sweet money for just picking apples.

Your post, and the countless others that will appear just like it, and my own reasoning that 150$ in a day is mega-pay-day, cause me to be very suspicious of the OP.

Perhaps the OP is taking things out of context, perhaps the owners placed the ads looking for workers, then were forced to not accept any applicants for some reason.

There is a possibility we are not seeing all sides of the story here, and this is exaggerated to promote an unrealistic agenda that the "American people refuse to work even at good jobs".

I do sense some bias points of view creating imbalance, so I am very skeptical of course.

reply to post by muzzleflash


Not to mention it is an active job, so you get in shape FAST. I have lost 20 pounds in just a few weeks doing manual labor, feel better, good pay, and like you said, job security, although it is only seasonal. At $150 per day, 7 days a week, that is $1050 PER WEEK...... who wouldn't want that kind of money????

reply to post by muzzleflash


That's why I posted a link to the article It sounds too good to be true, but Washington is actually one of the highest minimum wages, the apples from here go all over the world, so they can afford to pay. I have picked these myself, and when I ask people (who are unemployed) if they want to make some money, they are more than willing to go until they find out it's manual labor LOL

reply to post by usernameconspiracy


We did have illegal immigrants in years past, but they are afraid to work now because of the crackdown on illegals being here and working. E-verify was mentioned on the news pertaining to this issue.

reply to post by freespirit1


Which is part of the immigration problem.

Americans in general do not want to get dirty and sweaty. I do agree, the mindset amongst a lot of Americans is that manual labor is below them. The work has to get done one way or another and if the United States cannot get their own American citizens to get up off the couch then that sort of only leaves the illegal immigrants to pick up the slack.

It is a paradox.

reply to post by muzzleflash


Here is a link about the apple production in Washington.... THIS is why they can afford to pay so much.

There are 172,000 acres of orchards nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, at elevations of 500 to 3,000 feet above sea level. This area was first settled by pioneers at the turn of the nineteenth century. By the mid-1820s, these early settlers discovered that the area's rich, lava-ash soil and plentiful sunshine ceated near-perfect conditions for growing apples. Trees planted along the stream banks tended to be particularly healthy and vigorous. The pioneers developed irrigation systems, and by the end of the century commercial ochards were established. To this day, most of the state's apple-growing districts are still located along the banks of major rivers. Growers are now using "dwarf trees" in high density plantings to bring new orchards into production faster. Smaller trees improve harvest efficiency because the apples are easier to reach. Orchardists can respond more quickly to consumer demand for popular, newer varieties, such as Fuji, Gala, and Braeburn.

Originally posted by Talltexxxan
Because manual labor is believed to be "below" most Americans.

Its sick really. The most honest and traditional work ever done is considered 'beneath' alot of people.
Im American and I am emmbarassed for the way that most of the people here view actual work.
Shameful really.

Also a post like this seems totally bias, over-generalized, and unrealistic.

We are talking about 300,000,000 people plus here, all of them different.

And last I checked, there was an entire civilization in full swing still here, and there are still tons of factory, construction, maintenance, janitorial, etc type jobs still in place.