Items Tagged with 'H-2A'

As farmers and companies in the food and ag sector struggle to find workers, many have increasingly turned to recruiting foreign workers through visa programs, including H-2A. Demand for H-2A workers, who can take seasonal jobs on crop or livestock operations, has been skyrocketing. Meanwhile, others in the sector are trying to use smaller visa programs, such as H-2B or J-1.

Leaders of the House Agriculture Committee announced the formation of a 14-member working group, evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, that is supposed to find solutions for the labor challenges facing farmers.

Specialty crop producers and a contract poultry grower used a farm bill listening session in Texas Wednesday to urge lawmakers to provide them with more insurance options, while groups representing other commodities continued their call for reference price increases consistent with inflation.

Farms may be required to pay higher wages to some foreign workers under changes the Labor Department has finalized in the way that H-2A minimum pay rates are calculated.