A Cowboy’s Christmas Prayer

Dan Alabama, Aquaculture, Beef, Beef, Cannabis, Cattle, Citrus, Corn, Cotton, Cover Crops, Dairy, Equine, Field Crops, Florida, Forestry, Fruits, General, Georgia, Georgia Cotton Commission (GCC), Georgia Peanut Commission (GPC), Grapefruit, Hemp, Herbs, Industry, Labor and Immigration, Lemons, Livestock, Nursery Crops, Orange Juice, Organic, Peanuts, Pecans, Pollinators, Pork, Poultry, Rabbits, Seeds, Sheep-Goats, Soybeans, Specialty Crops, Sugar, Tree Nuts, Vegetables, Wheat

As we celebrate Christmas this year, Southeast AgNet’s Randall Weiseman brings back an old favorite, “A Cowboy’s Christmas Prayer” written by S. Omar Barker. A COWBOY’S CHRISTMAS PRAYERby S. Omar Barker (1895-1985) I ain’t much good at prayin’,and You may not know me, Lord —For I ain’t much seen in churches,where they preach Thy Holy Word.But you may have observed …

New H-2A Labor Wages Effective Dec. 29

Dan Beef, Beef, Cattle, Citrus, Dairy, Equine, Field Crops, Forestry, Fruits, Hemp, Herbs, Industry, Labor and Immigration, Legislative, Livestock, Nursery Crops, Organic, Pecans, Pork, Poultry, Rabbits, Regulation, Sheep-Goats, Specialty Crops, Sugar, Tree Nuts, Vegetables

A recent issue of the Florida Citrus Mutual Triangle newsletter provided information about the wage that growers must pay H-2A labor, effective Dec. 29. H-2A workers are foreign agricultural workers who are allowed to work in the United States temporarily. In recent years, the vast majority of Florida citrus has been harvested by H-2A workers. The Employment and Training Administration …

DeSantis Takes Aim at Federal Immigration Policies

Dan FDACS, Florida, Labor and Immigration

(TALLAHASSEE/NSF/Dec 10, 2021) — Gov. Ron DeSantis focused on national politics Friday as he rolled out a series of proposals for the upcoming 2022 legislative session aimed at the border policies of President Joe Biden. DeSantis called for state lawmakers to “fight against the Biden border crisis” by passing legislation to expand a law targeting so-called “sanctuary cities” and to …

Agriculture Output and Labor Growth Projected

Dan Citrus, Labor and Immigration

Real output in the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting labor sector is projected to grow at an annual rate of 2.3% from 2020 to 2030, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently reported. That’s slightly higher than the 2.2% annual growth rate projected for the entire U.S. economy. According to the report, the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting sector is …

John Deere Factory Workers Approve New Contract

Dan Labor and Immigration

Factory workers at Deere & Co. ended their month-long strike Wednesday by approving the third contract offer after rejecting the two previous offers. The United Auto Workers (UAW) said 10,000 members ratified a new six-year contract offer by a vote of 61 percent to 39 percent. UAW says the deal includes a $8,500 signing bonus, a 20% increase in wages …

Deere Workers to Vote on Third Tentative Agreement

Dan Labor and Immigration

The United Auto Workers (UAW) and John Deere have reached a third tentative agreement. The first two agreements were rejected by Deere workers during this strike. UAW released a statement on Friday saying this new agreement includes “modest modifications” to the second offer which was previously turned down in a 55%-to-45% vote. According to a UAW statement, “John Deere and Company has …

Keep Food Local & Affordable Act Introduced

Dan Citrus, Field Crops, Labor and Immigration, Legislative

U.S. Representative Greg Steube of Florida recently introduced the Keep Food Local and Affordable Act to combat the recent rise in food prices due to historic labor shortages and inflation. This legislation would implement a temporary stay on the H-2A adverse effect wage rate (AEWR) for states struggling to find domestic workers. The H-2A program allows temporary foreign workers in the U.S.; …

Ag Labor Reform Hindered by Regional Differences

Dan Citrus, Labor and Immigration

The issue of ag labor legislation reform will remain unresolved as long as southeastern growers and western growers don’t come to a compromise, says Bob Redding. Redding, who works for the Redding Firm and serves as a lobbyist for agricultural groups in Washington, D.C., believes compromise is the only way true reform will happen with such a contentious issue. “If …

Survey: 54% of Equipment Dealers Don’t Support Deere Strike

Dan Economy, Labor and Immigration

A majority of equipment dealers don’t support striking John Deere workers, according to a recent poll from Farm Equipment Magazine. The poll found roughly 54 percent of dealers indicated they do not support the strike, while 37 percent said they did, and 8.5 percent weren’t sure. Deere workers have rejected two tentative contract agreements since the strike began. UAW members …