Farm labor has been an ongoing issue for the ag industry. With Republicans in control of both the House and Senate beginning January 3rd and President Trump returning to the White House on January 20th, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall tells says that he’ll be pushing lawmakers on Capitol Hill next year to revise the H-2A Visa program.
The H-2A program allows U.S. employers to temporarily hire non-immigrants from different countries for agricultural services throughout the year. However, the program has not been modernized since 1986. H-2A workers in many states are paid the Adverse Effect Wage Rate, which is typically higher than a state’s minimum wage. To complicate matters further, H-2A workers in other states may also be paid the Prevailing Wage, which is the average wage paid to similarly employed workers in a specific occupation in the area of intended employment.
