By Clint Thompson
Amid current delays in the H-2A system, one agricultural leader expressed his feelings about the program and its impact on his specific sector.
George Szczepanski, executive director of the National Watermelon Association (NWA), discussed the program in an interview with AgNet Media. He described it as a “necessary evil.”
“I will say the program itself has a lot of good, but it’s the expense and the complication of it,” Szczepanski said. “It’s complicated. It’s cumbersome and expensive, and it’s unpredictable. For that reason, it makes it really challenging. We need a predictable, affordable, reliable system of labor for American agriculture, or it’s just not going to work.”
Program Specifics
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. According to American Farm Bureau, more than 400,000 H-2A positions were requested in FY 2025. Almost half of the certifications occurred in just five states, including Florida, Georgia and North Carolina in the Southeast.
“We know who they are. They are interviewed and vetted. There’s also a lot of great opportunity for the people that are coming, they’re making good money doing the job that nobody wants and sending the money home. It’s a good thing,” he added.
Delays
It’s good but not a perfect program. John Hollay, president and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, acknowledged in early April that H-2A processing delays were currently being experienced. Florida watermelon producers suffer the most from any delays during the season.
“Unfortunately, I’d say Florida guys get the worst end of this. If there’s a delay in arrival, it tends to hit our Florida guys, for watermelon specifically, worse than other regions,” he added. “It’s still frustrating that this process doesn’t have the ease of use.”
Szczepanski and his fellow ag leaders scored a major win when the Department of Labor (DOL) implemented an interim final rule, revising the methodology used to determine the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR). Under the new interim final rule, the DOL will base AEWRs on state-level wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey rather than the USDA Farm Labor Survey, which was previously used. More labor victories are needed for the industry.
“We’re grateful for the administration changing the rule for the way that wages are tabulated. I had a good Department of Labor meeting where they’re looking at the procedures for this system and where we can find regulatory ease that does not require lawmaking,” he noted. “There’s an interest in collaborating for industry with this administration, and that’s really where the bulk of advocacy efforts go is working with lawmakers, regulators, on labor and the H-2A program, specifically.
“We’re always looking for ways to lean on decision makers to make it better.”