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LINCOLN, Neb. " Every so often, Al Juhnke, executive director of the Nebraska Pork Producers Association, says he'll get a phone call from one of his farmers about how to solve Nebraska's severe labor shortage..
It goes something like this: "Al, I got a great idea. Why don't we invite any immigrants? Legal, illegal ... I don't care. Invite them to Nebraska because we have lots of openings out on our farm and we need help."
Juhnke says attracting workers to Nebraska is not about wages. The average pay for a meat trimmer is close to $18 an hour " well above the state minimum of $13.50. "These are good paying jobs in the plants," he says. "People say, 'Well, just double or triple the pay [and] you'll get United States citizens to work.' No, you won't."