‘American Harvest’ Makes Compelling Case for Migrant Workers

But Could Leave Some Viewers Hungry for More 

Chris Torres
Staff Writer
Editor’s note: As a film review, this article contains some opinions of the writer.
GETTYSBURG, Pa. — At an hour and 40 minutes long, the film “American Harvest” gives a compelling argument about the need for immigration reform and the need for a migrant workforce in agriculture.
Director Angelo Mancuso, a native of Rochester, N.Y., spent nine months on the road in 2006, going from farm to farm, catching the harvest in various states such as Florida, Georgia, Delaware and his native New York.
He traveled 15,000 miles, visited 15 states and two countries and interviewed hundreds of people in his quest to document the impact migrant workers have on agriculture.
The message that came out in the film was clear — we as Americans would suffer without the migrant workforce doing the jobs we don’t want to do.
Instead of using talking heads and politicians to tell the story, Mancuso chose to tell the story through the eyes of people on the front lines of the debate.
The film is unnarrated and is interlaced with a little bit of music for color. But the stars of the film are the people telling their real stories. Their was no animation, no clever graphics. Just real people, talking.
Their stories were, at times, gutwrenching. Numerous migrants described how they left their homes with just the shirt on their back — no money, no food, no extra clothing — just to get a job so they could better support their families back home in Mexico and in other countries. Many of the migrants faced harsh conditions when they got to the border. They described how difficult it was getting the documentation to make their trip into the U.S. a lawful one, even though their goal was to get here legally in the first place.
Social workers described the plight these workers face in their native countries, from waiting days outside of an office to see an official to finding out the countless amount of papers they need to become legal immigrants. Desperate and in need, many end up making the fateful trip across the border as illegals. Some never make it, succumbing to the intense desert heat of the Southwest or becoming victims of violent crimes.
Former migrant workers, who eventually became U.S. citizens, talked about their struggles becoming citizens; the money they had to spend, the countless hours learning the language and the struggle to be reunited with their families.
A historian from Ellis Island put into perspective the impact migrant workers have had on this country ever since it was founded.
And farmers talked about how difficult it is getting domestic workers and how the shrinking workforce leaves them no choice but to hire migrants, legal or illegal.
When asked what would happen if the migrant workforce would one day disappear, a farmer said it would mark “the end” for U.S. agriculture.
A farmer from New York shared the impact migrant workers have had on his farm, losing almost his entire crop in 2006 because his workers were taken away by immigration agents.
But as much as the film argues for the migrant worker and the need for immigration reform, it does little to include the other side of the issue. Perhaps Mancuso would have benefited from including a town like Hazelton, Pa. in his film, where local officials have cracked down on illegal immigrants, citing increased crime problems.
It also would have been nice to see him interview some police officers and immigration agents on the frontline so they could tell their stories.
And it’s not only fruit and vegetable growers who rely on migrant workers. Dairy farmers, especially in Pennsylvania and New York, rely heavily on migrant workers to milk, feed and clean out stalls. But the film focuses mainly on the produce industry.
Nonetheless, people attending a special screening of “American Harvest” at the Majestic Theater on Wednesday night — which was packed to the brim — left the theater with a better appreciation of the impact migrant workers have on agriculture.
Gettysburg College student Beth Mounsey, 19, heard of the movie through a Spanish class she is taking at school.
She never realized how much agriculture relied on migrant workers until she saw the film. “It opened my eyes because I really didn’t know how much of a problem it really is,” she said.
For Adams County grower Ed McDannell of Biglerville, the film hit close to home.
Every year, McDannell faces the same struggles many of the farmers in the film face, getting work for the harvest. When the time comes to harvest his 100 acres of fruit each fall, he hires about 10 workers, all of them migrants.
Because of the lack of local workers, McDannell said he has no choice unless he wants to see his crop fizzle. He hopes others will see the film and get an appreciation for an issue he has known about for years.
“I hope a lot of other people see this because it reiterates things I already knew,” he said. “Without those workers, we’d lose our crop. It’s exactly what would happen. I’m glad to see that somebody is coming out in the forefront and bringing the issue out.”