As its workers stream to the U.S., Mexico runs short of farmhands

Original source (on modern site)

ETZATLÁN, Mexico — For decades, Mexicans crossed the border to pick Americans' lettuce, grapes and strawberries. Mexico had a seemingly inexhaustible supply of farmhands — tough, hard-working men who did the jobs most Americans didn't want.

But the country is running short of farmworkers.

The workforce is graying; nearly three-quarters of Mexican campesinos are over 45. Young people are turning up their noses at farm jobs. And those willing to do migrant work have other options. Nearly 300,000 a year travel to the United States on seasonal agricultural visas, a fourfold increase in a decade.