With offices in the Rio Grande Valley, Mexico City and Washington D.C., top immigration attorney Charles Foster knows the challenges of immigration issues first hand. He has served as senior policy advisor to both Presidents Bush and Obama during their presidential campaigns and has testified before both the U.S. House and Senate Subcommittees on immigration.
And at the 2011 Becker Forum, Foster will be the first speaker in what promises to be a strong line-up with the theme "Immigration Issues Confronting New York Agriculture."
"This year's Becker Forum brings together a powerful group of policy makers on both the state and federal levels," says Jeanette Marvin, New York State Vegetable Growers Association Executive Secretary.
The Becker Forum is a full-day of educational sessions aimed at farm and agri-business managers and owners. This year's focus is labor issues. The 2011 Becker forum will be January 25, 2011 at the Holiday Inn, Liverpool, N.Y.
"Finding quality labor is one of the greatest challenges producers face today," notes Marvin.
"It's increasingly apparent that farmers can't address the labor issue alone. It's going to take a coalition building effort, including bipartisan support. Charles Foster is very, very interested in supporting bipartisan support for comprehensive immigration reform," says Thomas Maloney, Senior Extension Associate at Cornell University and Becker Forum event coordinator.
Foster, Co-Chairman of FosterQuan, LLP, will address, "The politics of immigration reform and building coalitions."
Other topics include: the new H-2A and other rules, compliance and enforcement, resources for farmworkers, congress and immigration reform.
The Becker Forum is held in conjunction with the Empire State Fruit and Vegetable Expo and Direct Marketing Conference January 25 – 27, 2011. Pre-registration for the Becker Forum is strongly recommended.
For more information, visit the show website http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/hort/expo/index.php or contact the New York State Vegetable Growers Association Executive Secretary Jeanette Marvin at jmarvin@rochester.rr.com or (315) 986-9320.
The 2011 Empire State Fruit and Vegetable Expo and Direct Marketing Conference is sponsored by the New York State Vegetable Growers Association, Empire State Potato Growers, New York State Berry Growers Association, New York State Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association, New York State Horticultural Society, Cornell University and Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Source: New York State Vegetable Growers Association Inc.
