dignity act

DHS and USDA Move to Protect American Farmers

Dan General, Industry News Release, Labor and Immigration

Ensure Continued Flow of America’s Food Supply Department to Temporarily Amend Certain H-2A Requirements During COVID-19 National Emergency (USDA) — The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with the support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has announced a temporary final rule to change certain H-2A requirements to help U.S. agricultural employers avoid disruptions in lawful agricultural-related employment, protect the …

Food Workers

COVID-19 Shows Farm Labor System is Broken

Dan Industry News Release, Labor and Immigration

(NAFB) — The coronavirus outbreak has exposed major flaws in the American farm labor system. Politico says that’s upping the pressure on the federal government to make migrant labor much more accessible to farmers. It also highlights a lack of health and safety protections for these “essential” workers. Farmworkers who are still planting and harvesting crops have a higher than …

dignity act

Coronavirus Safety Fact Sheets for Workers

Dan Alabama, Aquaculture, Beef, Cattle, Citrus, Corn, Cotton, Dairy, Field Crops, Florida, Forestry, Fruits, General, Georgia, Hemp, Industry, Industry News Release, Labor and Immigration, Livestock, Nursery Crops, Organic, Peanuts, Pecans, Research, Soybeans, Specialty Crops, Sugar, Vegetables, Wheat

Author: E. Vanessa Campoverde, UF/IFAS (UF/IFAS) — I have received several questions regarding what to do if you have employees or work with others during this Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in agricultural operations and related businesses. While there is plenty of information about how the virus work, how to protect yourself and others, etc. I compiled some information (with images) that can …

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Commissioner Nikki Fried Guidance on Essential Food and Agriculture Workers During Stay-at-Home Order

Dan Florida, Industry News Release, Labor and Immigration

(FDACS) — In response to the Governor issuing a stay-at-home order due to COVID-19, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried offered the following statement on the essential role of food and agriculture workers who are exempt from this order. This exemption is consistent with the Department of Homeland Security’s identification of essential critical infrastructure workers during COVID-19 response. “Agriculture is Florida’s second-largest industry, and it’s first-largest in …

House Agriculture Committee

State Department Clears the Way for Agriculture Workforce

Dan Industry News Release, Labor and Immigration

(AFBF) — The U.S. State Department revised its restrictions on the processing of visa applications submitted by farm workers in Mexico after hearing concerns that the restrictions would lead to a farm worker shortage in the U.S. Consular officers can now waive the visa interview requirement for eligible first-time and returning H-2A and H-2B applicants, making more workers in the H-2 …

house

Secretary Perdue Applauds State Department’s H-2 Decision

Dan Industry News Release, Labor and Immigration

(USDA) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement in response to the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to authorize temporary waivers for in-person interviews for eligible H-2 visa applicants. “Temporarily waiving in-person interviews for H-2 visa applicants streamlines the application process and helps provide steady labor for the agriculture sector during this …

florida

USDA and DOL Announce Information Sharing to Assist H-2A Employers

Dan Industry News Release, Labor and Immigration

(USDA) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced a partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to help facilitate the identification of foreign and domestic workers that may be available and eligible to transfer to other U.S. agricultural sector employers to fulfill critical workforce needs within the U.S. under existing regulatory …

food prices

U.S. Agriculture Focused on Stable Food Supply, Farm Labor Worries Grow

Dan General, Industry News Release, Labor and Immigration

(AFBF) — U.S. agriculture is working diligently to maintain the stability of our food supply as concerns over COVID-19 lead to increased consumer purchases of groceries and other items.  The following statement may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall about the commitment of farmers and ranchers, as well as a serious concern related to the U.S. …

wastewater

NPPC Seeks Labor Solutions for Potential COVID-19 Impact on Pork Supply Chain

Dan Industry News Release, Labor and Immigration, Pork

(NPPC) — The fallout from an ongoing labor shortage facing the U.S. pork industry and other agriculture sectors could significantly worsen due to the impact of COVID-19, the National Pork Producers Council said in a letter to U.S. government officials today. NPPC’s concerns regarding COVID-19 are labor specific. There is no evidence that pigs can contract the virus. In a letter to …