One of the most overlooked, yet important roles in agricultural production is the contributions of migrant workers. These workers, often seasonal, make significant sacrifices to cultivate our fresh produce, nurture the vibrant Christmas trees, and maintain botanic neighborhoods. To gain deeper insights into their experiences and the processes involved in the agricultural sector, I conducted interviews with three migrant workers in Avery and Watauga county.
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Ramón
Where are you from?
Ramón: From Mexico, from the state of Guanajuato. I’ve been here for nine months, well, I came alone.
What brought you to agriculture?
Ramón: My brother was already here and he told the boss that I wanted to come work, so he brought me and I ended up in the pines.
Have you always been interested in it?
Ramón: Yes, but the thing is that over there you earn very little and here you earn a little more, but we are very far from where we live.
Has it been difficult to stay connected with your family?
Ramón: No, well, I call my mom or dad almost every day and talk a little, and that’s it, but usually every day.
What are the biggest problems as a migrant worker?
Ramón: Well, everything. In what I do, anything can happen. I could slip or something, fall, and that’s it.
José
José: For the season right now, I just come for seven or eight months.
What job have you liked the most?
José: Well, right now, the golf course. The truth is, that job appealed to me, and then I just decided to work there.
How do you think migrant workers contribute to the agricultural industry?
José: I think by working, always showing up every day, struggling.
Víctor
Víctor: Let’s see, I arrived here around 2009. From 2009 onwards, to now.
What brought you here?
Víctor: I had economic problems in my country and I couldn’t go back because I had a lot of debts there. I had to stay here longer to pay off my debts and I kept staying, I kept staying, and now I’m still here.
How do you stay connected with your home country?
Víctor: Right now, thank God, I have my family here. I have my wife here and my children, but my parents are still in Mexico. And my uncles, well most all of my relatives on my parents’ side live in Mexico, but now I am here with my wife and children. It’s a little bit calmer in that part of my life.
What motivates you?
Víctor: When I finish a job, and at that moment, when I deliver a finished job and the boss or the owner is happy. That makes me feel good because I realize my work is good or that it turned out well. When things don’t turn out well, they grab my attention. That then becomes the area I’m not satisfied with, I would like to improve more and do things better.
What does your job as a migrant worker entail?
Víctor: For example, here outside there are many plants, those garden plants, and we plant those plants or make a kind fo fence for cars to park there. Sometimes they ask us for gravel, those tiny stones for cars to drive on, outside the plants. We do everything.
Why agriculture?
Víctor: When I arrived here, some family members took me to that job where I still work now, and I stayed there. I kept staying, and I don’t know, maybe I got used to it. I hope someday to be able to get out there and become independent on my own. That’s what I want to do. My big dream is to have my own company or my own job and not work for someone else. Yes, that’s what I want.