The House Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment to the fiscal 2018 Homeland Security Spending Bill that would help dairy producers and other farmers that need year round labor. The amendment would expand the types of businesses that can apply for the H-2A visa program for temporary or seasonal workers. Politico’s Morning Ag Report says it would also nullify the requirement …
Rural Unemployment Rates Declining
Unemployment rates in rural areas of the nation have been steadily declining since 2010. This trend has been reported by Farm Journal’s AgWeb, noting that both rural and urban unemployment rates have approached pre-recession levels. As of 2016, the overall unemployment rate was 5.7 percent in rural areas and 5.2 percent in urban areas. Before this decline, unemployment rates in …
Agri View: Talk Continues on Effects of the Wall
Everett Griner talks about how the wall will affect agriculture in today’s Agri View. Well, talk continues about the wall. What is it going to cost? Estimates range from 8 billion to 25 billion dollars. Whatever the cost, constructing that wall is not the only thing that generates financial repercussions. Trade, especially farm trade. Sale of farm …
Agri View: Farm Labor Help Needed
Everett Griner talks about farm labor continuing to be a problem in today’s Agri View. An adequate supply of migrant labor is still a serious problem for agriculture, especially in the south. Our new administration has nothing to do with it although it isn’t any better. The solution was supposed to be the H-2A Program where a farmer …
New Proposal Could Protect Farm Workers from Deportation
The American agriculture industry relies on foreign workers, especially at harvest time. The website Eater Dot Com reports a group of Democrats has introduced legislation that would give farm workers some protection from possible deportation. The bill is called the Agricultural Worker Program Act of 2017 (Senate Bill 1034). It would protect undocumented workers from deportation if they can prove …
Pleased with Protection for Farmworkers
A bill introduced last week in the U.S. Senate would give farmworkers a path to legal status and citizenship. And during a conference call this week Arturo Rodriguez, president of the United Farm Workers of America, was pleased with introduction of this legislation. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced the legislation and explains how it works. More information about the new …
Agri View: Migrant Labor Shortage
Everett Griner talks about how the migrant labor shortage problem will hurt everybody in today’s Agri View. Well our new president’s efforts to control our borders and deport illegals is not a good thing for farmers. It is going to create a labor shortage that’s already a serious challenge. Present laws that permit migrant farm workers to come …
Senate Bill Would Protect Farmworkers
U/S.A bill introduced last week in the U.S. Senate would give farmworkers a path to legal status and citizenship. California Senators, Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, introduced the legislation last week that would shield farmworkers who are in the country illegally from deportation and create a path to citizenship, according to the L.A. Times. Feinstein says “farm labor is …
NMPF Recognizes Members of Congress for Focusing Attention on Dairy Workforce Needs
As discussions over immigration policy continue on Capitol Hill, the National Milk Producers Federation thanked members of both the House and Senate for working to address the unique labor challenges faced by dairy producers. NMPF has called on legislators to address this dilemma for more than a decade. “We welcome these bipartisan efforts to shine a light on an issue …
AG Sessions Says Deportation to Focus on Felons, not Farm Workers
The Western Growers Association says recent comments by Attorney General Jeff Sessions indicate the Justice Department will focus on deporting felons, not farm workers. Sessions recently told Fox News the Justice Department does not intend to target illegal immigrants who have not committed crimes beyond illegally entering the country. Western Growers Association CEO Tom Nassif called the comments encouraging. Nassif …