By Clint Thompson
The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) is helping host an issue briefing and roundtable in Washington D.C. on Feb. 24.
Chris Butts, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, discussed the meeting’s importance and its message.
“We’ll have growers and representatives from 39 organizations and nine states that now make up the (Ag Wage Reform) coalition. We are there in Washington D.C. to implore Congress to make permanent changes to the H-2A program,” Butts said. “We had a very good thing in the interim final rule that came out at the end of 2025, but we need to make those changes permanent. That’s what we’re going to go to Congress and ask them to do.”
The coalition consists of state farm bureaus and specialty crop organizations. It spans across multiple states. But it has only one focus: the adverse effect wage rate (AEWR). It helped spark change in 2025 when the Department of Labor issued an Interim Final Rule, introducing a new methodology for determining AEWR by using the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.
Permanent Solution Needed
A temporary fix is not enough. It needs to become permanent.
“We need to codify the AEWR process so it can’t yo-yo back and forth between administrations. That helps no one. We’re looking to stabilize it and make it more market-based and sustainable for both employers and employees,” Butts said.
“That back-and-forth effect, putting the toothpaste back in the tube, so to speak, is just no good for anybody. It does not allow for planning. That’s what was so difficult for our guys. You can’t plan for a 30% wage increase over three years. This new plan at least gives us more certainty, and that’s what matters is being able to forecast out your labor for the next year or two. That’s how long these guys are asked to sign contracts for, with the retailers for pricing a year or two out. We’ve got to be able to calculate what our wage expenses are going to be.”
The coalition consists of groups like the Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, Georgia Farm Bureau, Georgia Pecan Growers Association, Georgia Watermelon Association, International Fresh Produce Association, National Council of Agricultural Employers and North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission.
The H-2A program allows U.S. employers or U.S. agents who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary agricultural jobs.
The GFVGA and the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission organize the coalition.