The way some demagogues talk about immigration reform -- for the moment a lost cause in Congress -- makes it sound like those who come to this country contribute nothing positive and steal jobs that Americans are eager to do. They also seem to think that deporting those who are here illegally would come at no cost.

Such hot-headed patriots should listen to a certain Pennsylvania tomato farmer.

Keith Eckel, 61, is a fourth-generation farmer in Clarks Summit in the northeast corner of the state. He announced that he will no longer plant his large tomato crop because the immigration system is broken and he can no longer find enough workers, most of whom are Mexican, to harvest it.

According to stories by the Post-Gazette's Milan Simonich and The Associated Press, Mr. Eckel said he saw a dramatic decline last summer in the number of migrant workers who came to pick tomatoes. "There are a number of workers hesitant to travel, legal or illegal, because of the scrutiny they are now under," Mr. Eckel said.

This is a blow in several ways, including to consumers and Pennsylvania's agricultural economy. Mr. Eckel is one of the largest growers of fresh-market tomatoes in the Northeast. He said he also will stop growing pumpkins and plant half as much sweet corn as usual, resulting in a loss of nearly 175 jobs.

Mr. Eckel said he was scrupulous about asking his workers for immigration documents.

"A lot of people think with immigration that we're talking about immigrants taking jobs from others. Let me tell you, there is no local labor that is going to go out and harvest those tomatoes in 90-degree temperatures except our immigrant labor," Mr. Eckel said. "They come here to do a job that no one else will do in this country."

The AP quoted Carl Shaffer, president of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, as predicting that other farmers would stop growing labor-intensive crops unless the government developed a reliable guest worker program.

These voices are reality talking. They are not the xenophobic blathering Americans are accustomed to hearing from talk-show hosts or pandering politicians. Immigration is an issue still ripe for reform -- as ripe as an unharvested tomato.