PROVO — About 2 dozen farmers, ranchers and growers from around the state took advantage of some face time Wednesday with Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, regarding proposed legislation that would facilitate badly needed immigrant labor in the agricultural industry.

The U.S. Senate plans to debate the so-called AgJobs bill next month. If approved, the bill would allow immigrant workers — in the country legally or not — who have been working in the agricultural industry for at least two years to participate in a pilot program that would allow them to obtain a "blue card" that would authorize them to legally work in agriculture for a period of three to five years.

The bill, the Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits and Security Act of 2007, would also simplify the process of obtaining an H-2Avisa, which allows workers to enter the United States for temporary or seasonal work in agriculture.

That process can take months, but Cannon, a House sponsor of the bill, said the AgJobs bill could lower it to as little as two weeks.

"We have some pretty big (agricultural) operations in Utah, and it's growing like crazy," Cannon said. "You ought to be able to do that in a marketplace that's predictable with a work force that is accessible."

The bill is aimed at addressing a dire concern raised by a number of those who attended Tuesday's meeting — that agricultural operations simply can't find American workers who will work for what farmers can pay.

"For about five years now, we've been short on labor every single day," said Scott Patton, who runs Delta Egg Farm. "You can't hire anybody for $10 an hour."

Patton said companies in his industry have worked for years to keep egg prices low, but facing a shortage of legal, willing labor, many companies like his are now forced to replace people with expensive machines.

"We're going to have to mechanize some positions," he said. "We don't want to; it's going to cost a lot more, and that price is going to be passed on to the consumer."

The AgJobs bill has raised some debate, as opponents say it would amount to little more than a blanket amnesty.

Supporters, however, say the bill would only affect immigrants who are in the United States with the desire to work in an industry where they are sorely needed.

Cannon said the bill has bipartisan and industry support.

"This is one of the few bills I've seen that everyone agreed to," he said. "Congress agreed to it, the labor unions agreed to it, the growers agreed to it. The only ones who didn't are the ones who don't want anyone coming into America."

Cannon added that the blue card and H-2A visa programs would be closely watched. Applicants would go through a tight screening process and anyone with a criminal record would be ineligible. Once in either program, workers would have to provide proof that they are employed in agriculture for at least 150 working days per year, that they pay taxes and have no criminal record.