Food and agricultural policy organization AGree sent a letter to Senators Monday urging them to pass the immigration reform bill approved by the Judiciary Committee in order to provide a stable workforce for American agriculture.

The bill “presents a huge opportunity for foreign-born agricultural workers who want to build a better future for themselves and their families and for American farmers and ranchers struggling with serious labor shortages,” reads the letter signed by the organization co-chairs. “A stable, legal workforce is critical to the capacities of American farmers and ranchers to produce nutritious and affordable foods, especially those perishable, labor-intensive fruits, vegetables, meat and milk products that are so important for healthy diets.”

One of AGree’s co-chairs, former Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, says there is strong support for the ag provisions in the bill. “When you have the employers, farm workers, farm labor advocates, a lot of municipalities, local governments who are supportive of this – and then you have the food industry which needs a predictable support of food – then these provisions are less controversial than some of the others,” said Glickman in an interview.

Members of the so-called Gang of Eight Senators that crafted the bill are expecting it to go to the Senate floor on June 10 and they predict it will pass by a good margin.

Listen to or download interview with Glickman here: Interview with AGree Co-Chair Dan Glickman