Immigration has been a big focus of the second Trump Administration. Farm leaders want to remind the White House that guest workers are critical to the ag industry.
“When you start thinking about sweet potatoes, very labor-intensive vegetable crop, blueberries, very labor-intensive fruit crop, even the Christmas trees is a very labor-intensive crop. And so, all of these things that we’re doing, we have to have a lot of labor,” said Shawn Harding.
Harding is a supporter of the H-2A program, saying it is essential to meet labor demands. He also admits it has drawbacks, but warns farm workers have to be protected during talks of mass deportations.
“If we’re going to have food in the grocery stores and the restaurants, on our tables, somebody has to do this work. We’re big proponents of the H-2A program from that standpoint because that money goes back and supports people in these other countries and does good work for them as well.”
Numbers from the Farm Bureau show H-2A positions increased around two percent last year, which is around 6,000 more guest workers compared to 2023.
The government shutdown has touched nearly every sector of the ag industry since it began, and now impacts are spilling over into dairy.
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With China halting U.S. soybean purchases and talks tied to broader strategic issues, growers face renewed export uncertainty.
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Talks highlight the widening role of agriculture in U.S.–India trade policy, though neither side appears ready for major concessions before tariff issues and oil imports are resolved.
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Soybean farmer and Arkansas Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge highlights why the U.S. trade standoff with China is especially critical for Arkansas producers.
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National Farmers Union (NFU) President Rob Larew discusses the urgent need for aid as farm families face mounting input costs and long-term market uncertainty.
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The new antitrust agreement between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) aims to enforce antitrust laws and monitor market activity across the ag sector.
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