Sen. Joni Ernst visits Powell Funeral Home in Keota July 23rd.

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R) says migrant workers are “absolutely needed” year round for the meatpacking industry in Iowa.

Senator Ernst gave her thoughts on the matter to KCII last week as a spokeswoman for the state’s largest pork producer, Iowa Select Farms, spoke during a July 21st Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that seasonal employment currently allowed under a federal visa program is insufficient to meet the industry’s needs. Ernst says she has spoken with leadership at Iowa Select Farms about the federal programs they have used to employ migrant workers, but she understands that these seasonal programs may not work with the company’s work cycle, “So there are a lot of things that we should be doing as a federal government and I do think that expanding those programs is very beneficial for states like Iowa where we’re not growing our own workers in the state. We need them to relocate here so whether that’s from another state or those that are emigrating, we need to do that.”

Iowa Select Farms Spokeswoman Jen Sorenson testified that farmers and meatpacking plants are facing severe labor shortages and need immigrant workers to be able to work year round during a hearing that focused on the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. The bill which passed in the House of Representatives this March would provide a pathway to legal status for undocumented farm workers.