President Donald Trump will be signing an Executive Order today prohibiting immigration into the United States for 60 days, but that order will not apply to seasonal farm workers. “Farmers will not be affected by this at all,” the president said during the daily Coronavirus Task Force briefing on Tuesday. “If anything we’re going to make it easier.” (:44)
Agriculture Groups Urge Action on Farm Labor
Agriculture organizations are urging immediate action on the evolving farm labor situation to avoid impacting the nation’s food supply during this critical time. The Agriculture Workforce Coalition (AWC) called on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to recognize all H-2A as well as any other non-immigrant visa petition involving an agricultural worker visa consular processing functions as essential and direct U.S. …
COVID-19 Restrictions Could Impact Food Supply
Beginning today, the United States will suspend routine immigrant and nonimmigrant processing visa services in Mexico indefinitely, including immigrant workers approved under the H-2A guest worker program who are needed to help farmers and ranchers get food in the grocery stores. “The decision to halt visa application processing in Mexico will restrict the number of immigrant workers being allowed to …
Rep. Yoho Introduces Bipartisan Ag Labor Bill
House Agriculture Committee member Congressman Ted Yoho (R-FL) has introduced the “Labor Certainty for Food Security Act” (HR 6083) to “bring relief to America’s farmers and ranchers who are struggling to find steady, reliable labor.” “Without a steady, reliable workforce, food prices will increase, and Americans will feel the effects at their local checkout line. If congress does not address …
Yoho: Improving the Farm Labor Shortage
Congressman Ted Yoho of Florida’s 3rd District was at the 2020 Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference, talking about guest worker legislation. “This is a bill that will solve a problem for illegal immigration in this country on the lower skilled tiers,” said Yoho. “We give opportunity for people before they come into the country to apply to this program. …
AgButler Serves to Offer Farm Labor Solutions
Thanks to the growing “gig economy” we can now easily get an Uber or Lyft, get food from different restaurants with GrubHub or DoorDash, find a babysitter or a handyman and more, all with our phones. Now the gig economy is coming to agriculture. AgButler is a gig economy platform that serves as a solution to a rural labor shortage …
Alliance Brings OSHA Together with Fertilizer and Ag Retailers
A new alliance between industry and regulators shows fertilizer and ag retailers are serious about safety. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) joined with The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) and the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) to provide training resources and safety information for workers, emergency responders, and communities within the agricultural retail and supply industry. ARA …
President Recognizes Farm Workers in Border Plan
President Donald Trump presented a detailed plan to the public on Saturday in an attempt to end the government shut down and strengthen border security. “Both sides in Washington must simply come together, listen to each other, put down their armor, build trust, reach across the aisle, and find solutions,” the president said as he laid out a compromise incorporating …
AFBF Hosts Webcast On Labor Visa Backlogs
Delays from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in the processing of visas for farm workers are fast approaching crisis proportions, increasing the threat that crops will rot in the field on many farms this year, American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall said in a media conference call this week. …
Candidate Trump Addresses #Farm Labor Issues
Like Sen. Ted Cruz, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump also had the opportunity to address the issue of immigration as it relates to farm labor during a CNN town hall forum Tuesday night. Wisconsin dairy farmer John Pagel explained to Trump that the state’s dairy industry “is being challenged right now by having a labor force dependent on an immigration …