border protection

NPPC Submits Testimony on Border Protection

Dan Labor and Immigration, National Pork Producers Council (NPPC)

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) recently submitted written testimony to the U.S. House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade about the need for robust customs and border protection keep foreign animal diseases from reaching the U.S. mainland. With increasing threats like foot and mouth diseases and African swine fever, the pork and other livestock sectors are looking to the Bureau of …

West Coast

West Coast Labor Dispute Affecting Red Meat Exports

Dan Agri-Business, Beef, Cattle, Exports/Imports, Labor and Immigration, Livestock, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF)

Contract negotiations between West Coast longshoremen and container terminal operators faced a breakdown last Friday, as work stoppages effectively closed the Port of Oakland and slowed operations up and down the coast. And that is affecting the shipping of agricultural products, including red meat. U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO, Dan Halstrom, explains why the West Coast port labor impasse is of …

jobs

USDA to Bring Jobs to Rural Partners Network

Dan Agri-Business, Economy, Labor and Immigration, This Land of Ours

The USDA is working to bring more jobs to rural communities. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The Department of Agriculture this week announced an effort to help rural communities to address some of their immediate needs and foster long-term economic growth. USDA is providing loans and grants to help people living in rural and Tribal communities in …

immigration

Duarte Says H.R. 2 E-Verify Program “Devastating” for Farmers

Sabrina Halvorson Labor and Immigration, Legislative

A Republican congressman says the GOP’s border bill doesn’t work for farmers or farm workers. H.R.2, the Secure the Border Act passed in the House last week with a vote of 219 to 213. All Democrats were opposed and all but two Republicans were in favor. One of those two Republicans was John Duarte of California. In an interview with …

florida

Florida Farmers Challenge Feds Over Wage Rule

Dan Citrus, Economy, Field Crops, Florida, Fruits, Labor and Immigration, Specialty Crops, Vegetables

(NSF/TALLAHASSEE/April 25, 2023) — Warning about a “looming disaster,” Florida farmers and agriculture groups have filed a lawsuit seeking to block a new federal rule about wages for farmworkers. The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in Tampa, centers on a minimum wage related to temporary farmworkers coming into the United States under what are known as H-2A visas. The …

afbf

AFBF Hails Bipartisan Effort to Freeze Wage Rate

Dan Agri-Business, American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), Labor and Immigration

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) urges Congress to pass legislation to freeze the 2023 Adverse Effect Wage Rate, or AEWR. AFBF says the rate distorts labor costs for farmers across the country who hire nearly 400,000 employees through the H-2A program. The bipartisan Farm Operations Support Act temporarily resets the AEWR at 2022 levels, providing much need wage relief …

rural

Rural Job Growth Shifting to High-Skill Workers

Dan Agri-Business, Labor and Immigration, This Land of Ours, USDA-ERS

There’s a shift in rural jobs. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Over the last two decades, the strongest rural job gains were in smaller industries that tend to employ high-skill workers. USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) reports the highest growth was in the real estate industry. According to experts like CALC job placement services, also showing rapid …

House Agriculture Committee

UFW Assigns Blame for Lack of Immigration Action

Dan Agri-Business, American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), Labor and Immigration

United Farm Workers (UFW) leadership laid the blame for a lack of action in Washington on immigration at the feet of the Republican Party and the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). The Senate decided not to include worker immigration legislation in the fiscal year 2023 omnibus appropriations bill. The omnibus passed the House last week and is on the way …

government shutdown

Federal Omnibus Deal Fails to Include Farm Labor Act

Dan Agri-Business, Economy, Florida, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA), Funding, Georgia, Labor and Immigration, Legislative, Regulation

On Dec. 22, the U.S. Senate passed the omnibus appropriations bill. The $1.7 trillion measure would fund the federal government through the remainder of 2023. The measure now moves to the U.S. House of Representatives for a vote to avoid a government shutdown on the evening of Dec. 23. Much to the dismay of farm groups nationwide, the Senate Affordable …

Workforce Modernization Act

Workforce Modernization Act Could Save Billions in Labor Costs

Dan Agri-Business, Labor and Immigration, Legislative, Regulation

The Farm Workforce Modernization Act awaits Senate action during the lame-duck session, and it’s the closest meaningful immigration reform has come to the finish line in years. Research by David Bier, Cato Institute associate director of immigration studies, shows farmers would save billions over the next few years if the Senate passes the legislation. “The Farm workforce Modernization Act would …