CBS12 News Team

Imports causing local farmers to struggle through 'growing pains'

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. -- Local farmers in South Florida are struggling to hang in there for another growing season. They say Mexican imports are severely undercutting production in the United States, especially right here in Florida.

It's been a tough year for Florida farmers, besides the high price of things like fuel and fertilizer, the amount of produce being exported from Mexico is increasing and that's taking a toll on local growers.

Steve Bedner/Farmer: We have 80 acres behind the store. We grow all of our produce right here. We harvest it fresh daily, all day long.

As a fourth generation farmer, Steve Bedner is worried his vegetable growing business may not be around for his nieces and nephews.
Bedner: If nothings done about NAFTA or Mexican imports, that's going put Florida farmers out of business.

That's because NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement which has been in effect for nearly 20 years, allows Mexican produce to enter the U.S. duty free.

Bedner: We have a narrow window in the winter time and they're drowning us in their produce, then here's not gonna be a future.

And for the last few years Mexican produce has been cheaper and more abundant which is severely hurting local farmers.

Bedner: Mainly because they can do it a whole lot cheaper than we can. I know its substantially lower than ours and they don't have all the taxes, payroll taxes, social security.

So two years ago Bedner opened a farmers market on 441 in Boynton Beach. His tomatoes, peppers, and other locally grown vegetables, go directly from his farm into the store.

Farmers like Bedner say all they want is a level playing field but without changes in U.S. policy, they say they don't see it happening anytime soon.

Farmers in the U.S have much stricter regulations than their Mexican counterparts and trade violations are hard to enforce. But President Obama has announced the formulation of a trade enforcement agency to impose existing agreements more aggressively.

Monday, May 7 2012, 11:33 PM EDT

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