By Clint Thompson
It might be a different year, but the concerns are the same for Blake Thaxton, executive director of the Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (AFVGA).
Speaking at the AFVGA Conference and Trade Show two weeks ago in Gulf Shores, Alabama, Thaxton discussed the No. 1 concern for him and his specialty crop producers. Not surprisingly, it focused on ag labor.
“I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to work with the new administration to find some relief with the adverse effect wage rate (AEWR); whether that’s a freeze, a new methodology, and I think at the very least we have to look at some kind of year over year cap,” said Thaxton, who added that he would be traveling to Washington D.C. in a couple of weeks to discuss his concerns with legislative leaders.
“I’m hoping we can talk to our lawmakers and staffers up there and just make sure they know the situation and see if we can’t come up with a solution,” Thaxton said.
Politically Speaking
It will not be an easy challenge to overcome. Ag labor often gets wrapped up in the whole immigration debate, making it a political issue.
“In some ways I think we want to separate the two issues and say that ag labor is a totally different issue than immigration. Then in some ways I think we want to couple them together. If there is immigration reform, maybe that’s the place where we can make some changes on H-2A or an ag workforce type of bill,” Thaxton said. “It’s walking that fine line of making sure that we take the opportunities when they arise to address the issue.
“I think we can work with what the Trump administration wants to do. In Alabama we already have E-Verify. We’ve had E-Verify for 15 years now. Our farmers have taken to the H-2A program and see it as their only real viable option. But we have to keep it viable for them.”