A new bill introduced in the House of Representatives would expand the seasonal agricultural work visa program and offer other changes farmers have sought, winning approval from the New York Farm Bureau.
The Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act, introduced by Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., would control labor costs, expand access and streamline the program, the farm bureau said.
“These changes to the H-2A program are long overdue. As a state that is home to a wide variety of agricultural commodities, many of which require significant labor needs, New York must have access to a reliable agricultural workforce,” said New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher in a press release.
The legislation would require H-2A wages to be the highest of either a collective bargaining agreement, the federal, state or local minimum wage, and the adverse effect wage rate (AEWR). Additionally, it would limit the AEWR year-to-year fluctuations to a 3.5% increase and a 1.5% decrease.
The New York Farm Bureau highlighted a streamlined online H-2A platform that would assist farmers in submitting necessary documentation. The legislation also would allow some agricultural workers that are undocumented to apply for the program if they have already been working on farms in the U.S.
This announcement comes shortly after the U.S. Department of Agriculture accepted a clarification on the program that would make it accessible to dairy producers; however, the bill would further expand access because it clarifies the length of “temporary” to 350 days. It specifically mentions the program’s eligibility for producers of aquaculture, harvest of livestock and forestry.
New York State Commissioner of Agriculture Richard Ball said the dairy industry has had challenges utilizing the H-2A program as they are year-round operations.
“We have long sought for that to be remedied, because frankly, all farms are having trouble finding qualified legal help all across the United States, specifically here in New York, where we also have a lot of specialty crops,” Ball said.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins highlighted that the Trump administration changed how the AEWR is calculated, which reduced labor costs for farmers.
“We’ve been able to cut wages in the H-2A program by almost 40%. That’s a big win for our farmers. About $2.5 billion is now going to stay in the pockets of our American farmers,” Rollins said during a visit to upstate New York earlier this month.
Ball said this fix was necessary.
“Frankly, it was based on the prevailing wage rate surveys, which were not complete or comprehensive, in my opinion, and so the cost of H-2A was going up and up and up every year, that needed to be remedies and stabilized,” Ball said. “H-2A workers make more than any other worker on any farm, [they are] a very protected class of workers.”