The H-2A guest worker visa program remains under scrutiny, with little change for producers struggling to secure a consistent ag labor workforce. Enrique Gastelum, CEO of the Worker and Farmer Labor Association (WAFLA), identifies three significant challenges related to work visas that need attention, starting with the skyrocketing wage rate.
“We need a change to the methodology to get this cost under control,” Gastelum explained. “You know, when farmers are paying 70% of their costs of operations just to labor, and you have H-2A related to it, that’s kind of, I would say, the number one fix that we need to see.”
He adds that changes in room and board also need to be reviewed, as current conditions leave farmers with a significant input cost before anything is even harvested.
“Second fix we need to see is: something’s got to break the farmers’ way, related to the cost of housing,” Gastelum said. “This is one of the only foreign guestworker programs where the employer is on the hook for paying 100% of the workers’ living situation.”
Lastly, the industry leader said changes surrounding non-seasonal ag workers are also needed – specifically, for struggling sectors like dairy and cattle ranching. A federal court in Louisiana is challenging the adverse effect of the wage rate, which is a move welcomed by growers there.
The new AFBF Women in Agriculture survey is accepting responses from women in the industry across the United States now through March 31.
October 21, 2025 01:56 PM
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University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) representative Dr. Dirac Twidwell joins us with the latest on woody encroachment conservation efforts in the Great Plains.
October 21, 2025 01:42 PM
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API said it stands ready to work with Congress to develop a balanced approach to E15 legislation that promotes fuel choice, supports investment certainty, and contributes to a stable and fair marketplace for American consumers.
October 21, 2025 12:39 PM
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In the meantime, Senate Majority Leader John Thune is asking that farmers be allowed to use marketing assistance loans to help stay afloat.
October 21, 2025 11:57 AM
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Beef industry groups seem to agree — market-based pricing, not federal intervention, best supports rancher livelihoods and long-term beef supply stability.
October 21, 2025 11:22 AM
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Cattle groups say additional imports would offer little relief for consumers but could erode rancher confidence as the industry begins to rebuild herds.
October 21, 2025 11:06 AM
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The government shutdown has touched nearly every sector of the ag industry since it began, and now impacts are spilling over into dairy.
October 20, 2025 12:46 PM
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Expect firm calf and fed-cattle prices — pair selective heifer retention with prudent hedging and liquidity to bridge rebuilding costs.
October 17, 2025 04:54 PM
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NEFB President Mark McHargue provides an update from the Husker State, where farmers are working hard to bring in one of the largest harvests in recent years.
October 17, 2025 04:06 PM
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