Farmers on the East End say the recession has created a healthy labor supply, but they worry poor access to workers may hurt their business.

The severe slowdown in the home-building and construction industries means there are more workers to be hired than usual. Long Island Farm Bureau President Joe Gergela says Congress needs to pass a guest worker program so laborers would be guaranteed access to work on a temporary basis. Without enough workers, farmers say they?ll be forced to shut down.

?They are able to come to this country, work a season - nine, 10 months - then go home to their country of origin,? Gergela says. ?That works for them and their families as well.?

Gergela says it?s important to Long Island?s agriculture industry to keep that relationship working. Calverton farmer Jeff Rottkamp agrees. If there are no workers, he says, there?s no food.

Suffolk is the leading agricultural county in New York State and Long Island's farming industry employs about 8,000 people.