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.
Mexico’s tougher, two-step treatment and added checkpoints are catching cases before they can spread—good news for producers near the border.
October 07, 2025 10:55 AM
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Focus on home radon testing—not changing your diet—because background sources vastly outweigh any exposure from naturally radioactive foods.
October 06, 2025 01:29 PM
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Jack Daniel’s will end its Cow Feeder Program, which served around 100 livestock operations near the distillery, and redirect spent grains to its anaerobic digester.
October 06, 2025 12:33 PM
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Prepare for acute UAN risk and a brief urea shock; maintain steady ammonia and phosphate plans, and monitor potash basis on the coasts.
October 06, 2025 11:56 AM
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Software developers at John Deere Digital are addressing challenges with their new Operations Center, which helps farmers make decisions on the fly.
October 06, 2025 11:51 AM
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“A government shutdown impacts all Americans and has serious consequences, including for farmers. It just adds additional uncertainty, disrupts critical services.”
October 06, 2025 11:23 AM
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Agricultural exports continue to be a key contributor to rural employment. However, rural businesses still struggle to fill numerous job openings.
October 06, 2025 10:46 AM
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Farm debt is climbing to record levels at ag banks, reflecting pressure on crop producers’ finances even as livestock and land values lend stability to the sector.
October 03, 2025 03:53 PM
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Approximately 42,000 birds were affected in the outbreak, officials said.
October 03, 2025 10:50 AM
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