AgNet Weekly: Representative Doug LaMalfa on Farm Labor Working Group

Sabrina Halvorson AgNet Weekly

Congress is looking into farm labor needs around the nation, but it is a challenging task. The House Agriculture Committee recently announced the creation of the bipartisan Agricultural Labor Working Group, which will focus on the workforce issues faced by agricultural producers around the nation. Congressman and farmer Doug LaMalfa of California joins host Sabrina Halvorson to discuss the group …

Workforce Modernization Act

Labor Discussed at Farm Bureau Convention

Dan Labor and Immigration

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

Dan Industry News Release, Labor and Immigration

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 …

USDA Applauds Housing Eligibility for Temporary Farm Workers

Dan Industry News Release, Labor and Immigration

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released internal guidance on changes made to farm labor housing eligibility. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 amended a section of the Housing Act of 1949 to extend the Farm Labor Housing tenant eligibility to agricultural workers legally admitted to the United States and authorized to work in agriculture. Due to this rule change, …

Concerns Rising about Farm Worker Shortages

Dan Labor and Immigration

In the immigration debate, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue hopes that lawmakers pay attention to the critical shortage of farm workers for U.S. farms. Gary Crawford has the story. Concerns Rising about Farm Worker Shortages Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsNovember 1, 2024Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024TriEst Ag Group: Partners in ProfitabilityApril 1, 2024

Ag Labor Fix Tied to DACA Bill in Congress

Dan Industry News Release, Labor and Immigration

A complete overhaul of the American agricultural guest worker program is a major part of a House of Representatives’ plan to fix the immigration status of young people involved in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA). The DACA program is currently tied up in an immigration reform battle on Capitol Hill. A DTN report says Virginia Republican Bob …

Conaway Supports House Guest Worker Bill

Dan Industry News Release, Labor and Immigration

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway offered his approval to a bill that would bring reforms to agriculture labor. Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee approved the Ag Act, which supporters say would replace the flawed H-2A guestworker program. Conaway says the bill would help provide farmers with access to a legal, steady supply of workers. Saying it’s time for a …

House Republicans Trying Again to Enact Ag Worker Reform Legislation

Dan Industry News Release, Labor and Immigration, Legislative

House Republicans are trying again to enact ag worker reform legislation to deal with the longstanding problem of illegal seasonal farm labor in the U.S. But, the effort may be going nowhere in the Senate. House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte’s [GOOD-lat] Agricultural Workers Act would create a new non-immigrant worker visa program, aimed at providing a stable, legal and adequate …