Apple growers in Washington State say that a labor shortage is affecting the harvest of this year's crop of apples. The farmers say that immigration laws in states like Arizona and Alabama have scared many workers, and that replacing immigrant labor with domestic is more expensive and hard to find. Some solutions have been offered, including using prisoners and more guest workers. However, both programs are cumbersome, and in the case of prisoners much more expensive. Farmers in other states have reported similar problems.
See "With migrant workers scared off by immigration crackdown, Wash. orchards desperate for pickers", The Associated Press, The Washington Post, November 8, 2011