Why Pennsylvania’s Farms Are Running Empty: The Hidden Crisis That Could Shake Your Food Supply

So here we are again, staring down the barrel of a crisis that’s as stubborn as a bull in a china shop—farm labor shortages in rural Pennsylvania, where the cows are restless and the fields sit bare. Imagine this: a county where 75 percent voted for a promise, and now they find themselves shouting into the void, “Where are the workers?” The very people who swore they’d bring change have instead made the workforce vanish like a mirage. It’s like trying to bench press without arms—how do you lift a farm without hands, huh? I’m telling you, a dairy farm without cows is just a patch of dirt, and without workers, it might as well be. These farmers, true warriors in the trenches near the New York border, aren’t just grumbling—they’re pleading for help as machines and empty assurances fall short. It’s rich, though, isn’t it? Folks keep punching the same ticket, hoping for a different hand—and get punched back. You gotta wonder, when will the American Dream stop turning into a manpower nightmare? Dive into this saga of sweat, politics, and unfilled job posts that leaves entire farmsteads ghostly quiet. LEARN MORE

Welcome to this week’s episode of our continuing series, “Hello, Suckers!” In rural Pennsylvania, we come to say … Hello suckers! From Politico:

In Tioga County, where President Donald Trump won 75 percent of the vote in 2024, farmers are losing patience with the White House’s promise of a quick solution for farm workers do.” Their urgent need is highlighted by stories like those of a multigenerational dairy farm that sold off all its dairy cows because the owner could not find workers and another where a farmer’s job listings have received no responses.

I am no expert, but based on my extensive experience drinking (pasteurized) milk, I have concluded that cows are necessary for the efficient operation of a dairy farm. And people I know say that farmworkers are nearly as vital.

Farmers in the rural region near the New York border say those stories are not unique. “The whole thing is screwed up,” said John Painter, a three-time Trump voter who runs an organic dairy farm in Westfield. “We need people to do the jobs Americans are too spoiled to do.”

That’s the spirit, fellas! We’re all in this together!

These are the voices Thompson and other farm-state lawmakers are hearing as they discuss potential solutions. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’ assurances that American workers and machines can help close the gap ring hollow among farmers who have become reliant on migrant labor that is increasingly hard to find in the face of Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Do any of these voices ever whisper, “Why in the name of unshirted Christ do we keep voting for this guy? I mean, the last time, 75 percent of this county did. He told them he was going to eviscerate their workforce, and he’s done it with gusto.

The U.S. agricultural workforce fell by 155,000—about 7 percent—between March and July, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data. That tracks with Pew Research Center data that shows total immigrant labor fell by 750,000 from January through July. The labor shortage piles onto an ongoing economic crisis for farmers exacerbated by dwindling exports.

There are stories on top of stories.

John Painter’s northern Pennsylvania farm sits on land where his family has run an organic dairy for decades. A former member of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau board of directors, Painter said he initially turned to migrant labor during Trump’s first term, when he struggled to find willing workers. He hired a Mexican couple who worked for him for two years until the husband was pulled over during a visit to family in New York. The man was later arrested and placed in removal proceedings after law enforcement discovered he had falsified papers. He was held in detention for more than a year before being deported to Mexico. His wife and children followed.

“I understand that he was here illegally, but I also understand that he’s human,” Painter said. “They want the American dream, and they want to work. … It’s not right, what they’re doing,” he said. “All of us, if we look back in history, including the president, we have somebody that came to this country for the American dream.”

Sounds pretty damn woke to me.