WASHINGTON –– With the Senate about to renew debate on an immigration reform bill, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and growers from California and elsewhere called Tuesday for provisions to allow in more agricultural workers.

"What’s happening in my state is that some farmers aren’t planting," Feinstein told a news conference. "Others are moving away from high labor crops, like strawberries, like asparagus, like bell peppers. Their fear is that when the time for picking comes, they won’t be able to harvest the crop."

Feinstein’s "AgJOBS" legislation would create a five-year pilot program to legalize the immigration status for those who have been working in American agriculture for at least 150 days over the previous two years.

The measure passed the Senate last year as part of a larger immigration bill but the House and Senate failed to agree on a final bill. Growers said cantaloupes, broccoli, pears and other crops went unpicked and farming operations were thousands of workers short and losing millions of dollars. They fear a repeat if Congress fails again this year.

"The last best chance for immigration reform in the foreseeable future is upon us," said Tom Nassif, President and CEO of Western Growers. "If Congress does not move on this critical issue this country will have lost its best opportunity to fix our broken immigration policy for at least several years."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid planned to open debate Wednesday on the immigration bill that passed the Senate last year unless bipartisan agreement could be reached before then on a substitute bill that could attract broader support.