By Clint Thompson
A little more than two months remain in the calendar year. Time is running out on legislative leaders to pass a new farm bill and a new labor bill, the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act (SAWA).
Georgia Ag Commissioner Tyler Harper, who attended the recent Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, Georgia, was asked if he felt optimistic about both pieces of legislation being passed in the near future.
“I think at the end of the day, it’s not only about being optimistic, I think we’ve definitely got to be pushing to make that happen and get that to happen,” Harper said. “It is critical that we get a farm bill done. It’s critical that we get that across the finish line. I know Congressman (Austin) Scott’s here, and they are working very hard on that to get that done and across the finish line. I’m not sure what that timeline is. Obviously, the goal is to have that done before the end of the year. We need that stability; we need that continuity in agriculture and unfortunately not getting the farm bill done on time creates a lot of challenges.
“I know it’s going to be after the midterm after the election but as soon as the election’s over, we’re definitely going to be continuing to turn up those conversations to encourage them to get the farm bill across the finish line because we know how important that is to the success of agriculture here in Georgia but are also across the southeast.”
SAWA Benefits
According to the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, SAWA would establish a more predictable wage framework and streamline H-2A administration through staggered worker arrivals, multiyear certifications and improved coordination among federal agencies.
“Labor continues to be a challenge. Definitely working to address that issue continues to be at the forefront and something that we have advocated for over the last couple of years,” Harper said. “We are definitely going to stay in that conversation.”