Yes, US corporations have shipped almost 14 million jobs to China and India over the past nine years. The rate at which America is hemorrhaging jobs has slowed up considerably over the past eighteen months – but it hasn't stopped, and employment prospects for many Americans are looking pretty dismal – except for one industry.

So far, American agriculture has literally had to go begging to fill jobs.

Despite all the rhetoric about how "illegals" are taking jobs away from American workers, the fact is that farmers and ranchers across the country have been bending over backwards in recent months to give those Americans first dibs on the jobs their offering. So, we're faced with a choice: either let that produce rot in the fields, or hire the folks who are actually applying for the jobs – in this case, immigrants from south of the border.

Here's what Garance Burke, a reporter for the Associated Press, had to say:

"...from January to June, California farmers posted ads for 1,160 farm worker positions open to U.S. citizens and legal residents. But only 233 people in those categories applied after learning of the jobs through unemployment offices in California, Texas, Nevada and Arizona."

Amazingly, out of over 40,000 farmers and ranchers in California alone, less than one-tenth of one percent applied for guest worker visas.

Now, nobody's arguing that farm work is darned difficult and demanding – and doesn't pay a whole lot (although in some areas they're paying over $10 an hour – a pittance if you're living in the big city, but not too bad for a lot of rural areas, and well over the federal minimum wage in any event).

Now, we know that Americans aren't lazy – heck, American workers put in longer hours for less pay and are more productive than anyone in the industrialized world. There are a few possible reasons why Americans, hard-pressed for jobs, aren't swarming out to the countryside, however.

One reason is travel; most of these farm jobs are not conveniently located. Another reason might be unemployment benefits, which could be affected – and in some cases, pay more than the job in question (by the way, contrary to what you're hearing from some candidates, unemployment is not an "entitlement" or a form of welfare – it's a form of insurance that workers pay into. Look at your pay stub next time and notice where they take money out of your check for this purpose).

Another biggie is the fact that farm work tends to be seasonal; folks who apply for a job usually want to start right away, not have to wait around for several weeks or months.

Those who are demanding that the U.S. crack down on illegal immigrants (who make up about half of the country's agricultural labor force) are now allied with the United Farm Workers union, stating that if farmers offered higher wages and benefits and better working conditions, more Americans would be willing to go to work on the farm.

What would this do to food prices? Economists aren't totally sure. The other problem is that farmers and most ranchers operate on a pretty slim profit margin to begin with.

Any ideas, here?