Thin profit margins and international competition keep wages low, which, coupled with hard manual labor, make agricultural jobs unattractive to many people. Furthermore, those that are able and willing to do farm labor are faced with a lack of affordable housing and transportation to job sites and stringent immigration policies. These factors lead to shortages in farm labor, which reduces harvests and drives up wages, thereby reducing profitability.

Labor shortages coupled with the aging population of farmers and ranchers and a decline in young people entering the industry, are leading many people to wonder who will be growing and processing our food in the future.