By Clint Thompson
The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) helped host a roundtable discussion with legislators in Washington D.C. on Feb. 24.
The issue, which was discussed among members with the Ag Wage Reform Coalition, centered on the H-2A program, specifically the adverse effect wage rate (AEWR).
Sam Watson, president of the GFVGA, recapped the meeting and the focus of the coalition.
“We were basically there to say thank you to the Trump administration, Department of Agriculture and Secretary (Rollins) and to the Department of Labor for the changes that they’ve made. We were basically urging Congress to act on that, codify it and get it put into law,” Watson said.
Watson referred to a 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. A permanent change to the rule would help growers stay afloat instead of the unfortunate alternative.
Chapter 12 Bankruptcy
“I told them up there that the Georgia Farm Bureau had an article that came out (recently) and Georgia was No. 2 in the nation with Chapter 12 bankruptcy only behind Arkansas,” Watson said. “Our goal was to say thank you, ask Congress to codify (the rule) and provide us with the ability and certainty to keep us all in business where we can grow and produce food and feed Americans.”
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.