MINOT — Farmers are having a tough time of it. Tariffs are driving up costs, and trade wars are driving down crop prices. North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring talked about those things on this episode of Plain Talk, but he also pointed out another problem: labor shortages, which not only leave positions unfilled but also drive up wages for those who are available for hire.

"You can't get anybody to come out and want to work on a farm," he said.

Contributing to the labor shortage are problems with the H2A visa program for temporary agriculture workers. "H2A is specific to skilled labor that we can bring into the country to help us do the work, because you can't find anybody anymore to do it," Goehring said.

"And sometimes when you talk about that, people are like, 'Yeah, y

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