The U.S. ag industry has long been asking for H-2A Visa reform. Washington state Congressman Dan Newhouse says that Congress has been listening to their concerns for several years.
“So, we’re looking at ways that we can reform our Visa programs to better suit today’s agriculture so that the workers that we have can rest assured that they’re not going to be subject to some of the deportation activities,” Newhouse states.
He says that the border crisis in recent years led to push-back on labor reform, but the policies of the new administration are helping to reduce illegal encounters at the southern border.
“Last February, in 2024, there were over 140,000 illegal attempts to enter the country. This February, one year later, that number was down to 8,000.”
The numbers for March were even lower. New data this week from the Trump administration showed a 94% drop from last March.
RFD NEWS Correspondent Frank McCaffrey speaks with Texas’s Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez about USMCA renegotiation and its impact on U.S.–Mexico agriculture trade.
January 17, 2026 05:00 PM
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Rising rural business confidence supports local ag economies, but taxes and labor shortages remain key constraints.
January 17, 2026 02:00 PM
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CoBank Knowledge Exchange’s Jeff Johnston shares the group’s positive perspective on expanding data centers into rural areas and weighs the risks and rewards for those communities.
January 16, 2026 01:44 PM
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Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller joined us to discuss data center expansion, farmland preservation, rural economic impacts, and imminent cattle biosecurity concerns affecting agriculture today.
January 16, 2026 01:28 PM
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The Pennsylvania Farm Show continues through Saturday, wrapping up another successful year of celebrating agriculture in the Commonwealth.
January 16, 2026 01:26 PM
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Shaun Haney joined us to discuss Canada’s new trade agreement with China, the potential impact on farmers and exporters, and what it could mean for U.S.–Canada trade relations going forward.
January 16, 2026 01:16 PM
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