As the cost to grow food continues to climb, farmers and ranchers also have to contend with difficulty finding enough help to run their operations. Linda Pryor, an apple grower from western North Carolina, said they simply can’t run their farm without enough labor.

"Produce, as a whole, is very labor intensive and time sensitive. For the apples that we're growing, we're producing about six-and-a-half-million pounds of apples annually," Pryor said. "All apples are picked by hand, as is a lot of produce, and so there's not a machine to take the place of that employee that we need to be able to help us get that job done."

One of the most challenging aspects of finding labor is the H-2A visa program, which Pryor said can be improved through simplification.

"For example, consolidating to one agency being the overseeing agency for it," Pryor said. "A centralized digital system that farmers like myself feel comfortable navigating on their own, so that we didn't have that added expense of having to use a farm labor contractor. I think that multiple agencies being involved causes some of the delays that happen."

Pryor said farmers have to get involved in advocating. Pryor says the days of farmers and ranchers keeping to themselves on their operations is over.

"Do what you can, whatever that is, and that's going to mean different things for different people," Pryor said. "If it means that you can make phone calls when you're driving or send emails, that's great. If you can make the time to attend meetings. If not, just supporting others that do have the opportunity to speak up. As farmers, we know what the problems are, and we need the lawmakers to hear from us."

Learn more at fb.org/labor.