By Clint Thompson A small group of people can sometimes boast the loudest voices. For some specialty crop producers, that can impede progress. David Hill, president of Southern Hill Farms in Clermont, Fla., and chairman of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, recently testified to the Florida Senate Agriculture Committee on the state’s fruit and vegetable industry. One of his …
H-2A Worker Numbers Still Rising
U.S. agricultural employers who anticipate a shortage of U.S. domestic workers can fill seasonal farm jobs with temporary foreign workers through the H-2A visa program. The Department of Labor certified around 317,000 temporary jobs in fiscal year (FY) 2021 under the H-2A visa program, more than six times the number certified in 2005. Only about 80% of the certified jobs …
Florida H-2A Adverse Effect Wage Rate Up Nearly $2
By Frank Giles The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released the results of its Farm Labor Survey. This data is used by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to determine the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR), which establishes the minimum wages for H-2A workers in states. The survey results indicate the new AEWR in 2023 is estimated to be $14.33, …
GFVGA Leader: H-2A Dominates the Conversation at Labor Relations Forum
By Clint Thompson The H-2A program remains a hot topic for Georgia’s specialty crop producers. It certainly was a focus of the Georgia Ag Labor Relations Forum hosted by the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) earlier this month. Chris Butts, executive vice president of the GFVGA, discussed the meeting which was held on Nov. 9-10 in Tifton, Georgia. …
Sweet Corn Producer: H-2A’s Regulatory Makeup is Intense
By Clint Thompson The most significant challenge to sweet corn production isn’t disease or pest pressure or water requirement, says one Georgia/Florida producer. It is finding and utilizing a labor workforce to pick the crop, says Karla Thompson with JET Farms. She and her family’s business utilize the H-2A program to find nearly 250 workers every year for their fall …
H-2A Complicated but Necessary Program
Alabama to Host Pair of Meetings for Specialty Crop Producers By Clint Thompson The H-2A program is a complicated process for the most experienced agricultural employer. It can be intimidating for those beginning users just learning how to use the program. Adam Rabinowitz, Alabama Extension economist, is helping lead a pair of meetings on Nov. 2 at Jefferson State Community …
Alabama H-2A Meeting Scheduled for Nov. 7
Alabama specialty crop growers are reminded that the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, Alabama Department of Labor and Alabama Cooperative Extension will educate growers on the H-2A guest worker program during an in-person educational session on Nov. 7. It will be held from 8 a.m. to noon in the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries auditorium at 1445 Federal …
H-2A Guidance After Hurricane Ian
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Foreign Labor Certification has provided Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) with general guidance regarding additional flexibilities for H-2A employers impacted by Hurricane Ian. Most Florida citrus is harvested by temporary H-2A workers. Following is a summary of the DOL answers to four questions about H-2A employer flexibilities due to the hurricane’s impact: …
US Department of Labor: Final Rule Improves H-2A
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced a final rule to amend H-2A temporary labor certification regulations that improves worker safety and updates the H-2A application and temporary labor certification process. The final rule was published in the Federal Register on Oct. 12, 2022. After the department proposed changes to the H-2A program’s regulations in a Notice of Proposed …
H-2A Employer Flexibilities Due to Hurricane Ian
This information was sourced from administrator Brian Pasternak with Office of Foreign Labor Certification, Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). DOL QUESTION: Can workers perform debris removal and other clean-up duties resulting from a hurricane even where these duties were not disclosed in the H-2A job order? ANSWER: Yes. H-2A workers and domestic workers employed in …