Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign vow to require Florida businesses to use federal “E-Verify” checks on the immigration status of new hires remains a tougher lift than his call for a sanctuary-city ban, which is speeding through the Legislature. But he’s not giving up, even as he blames a lack of unanimity among Republican lawmakers for slowing the red-meat proposal that …
Labor Discussed at Farm Bureau Convention
President Donald Trump was one of the speakers during the recent American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) annual convention. While he did discuss wanting support for a border wall between the United States and Mexico, he also promised to make it easier for seasonal farm workers to enter the country. During a press conference, AFBF President Zippy Duvall said immigration and farm labor …
Navigating the H-2A Guest Worker Program
U.S. farmers and ranchers discussed the current state of regulations governing the farm labor market and efforts to navigate it, at a workshop during the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 100th Annual Convention. The H-2A visa program has experienced massive growth over the past decade, with the number of visas being issued to temporary workers rising 500 percent. Still, demand is …
Secretary Perdue on Dept. of Labor Rulemaking on H-2A Visa Program
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue praised proposed rulemaking by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), which could help farmers advertise job openings to domestic workers as required under the H-2A visa program. The DOL rulemaking would require that employers seeking to hire temporary workers post the employment opportunities online, rather than in expensive newspapers advertisements reaching a limited audience. …
Expert Researchers Meet to Discuss Science Related to Heat Stress
Researchers representing disciplines such as the military, agriculture and sports medicine met in late October to discuss the latest advances in science and technology related to occupational heat stress in the Southeast. The Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (SCCAHS) brought together scientists from the University of Florida, Florida State University, University of South Florida, Emory University and …
Agri View: Farm Labor Cost More Today
Everett Griner talks about farm labor costing more in today’s Agri View. Farm Labor Cost More Today No matter where the crop is grown, and what the price is that is paid to farmers, there are still problems for farmers. Labor. Even the Latin-American workers, whether there are more-or-less, they are more attracted to other jobs than they are to …
McMillan Discusses Immigration
The immigration debate here in the U.S. is ongoing, but Republicans in the House of Representatives did introduce a new bill back in July they say will benefit agriculture. Known as the Agriculture and Legal Workforce Act, it would take the place of the current H-2A visa program and require farmers to use the E-Verify Program to make sure that …
What’s Next for E-Verify Immigration System
All employers would be required to use the E-Verify system to check the immigration status of employees. Milk Business Dot Com says the requirement is part of some revisions to the Ag and Legal Workforce Act that’s currently making its way through Congress. If the Act gets Congressional approval, it would phase in the E-Verify system over time and phase …
UF Researcher to Study Migration Trends, Health of Emerging Farm Workers
As the University of Florida IFAS Extension director for Hendry County, Gene McAvoy has seen firsthand a sea change in the types of workers now coming to the United States to work on farms. “It used to be 95 percent or more of the workers were from Mexico,” McAvoy said. “Now, it’s about 50 percent from Haiti and the Caribbean. …
Congressman Yoho on Proposed Guest Worker Bill
Immigration in the U.S. is an ongoing discussion, as many sides have dug in with their versions of how it should be handled. Of course it is an issue that hits agriculture very hard. During a recent interview with Southeast AgNet, U.S. Congressman and member of the House Agriculture Committee, Ted Yoho from Florida, said he supports a bill by …