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.
NCBA CEO Colin Woodall says more conversations need to occur with stakeholders present surrounding President Trump’s proposal to lower consumer beef prices with Argentinian imports.
October 22, 2025 11:53 AM
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October 21, 2025 06:18 PM
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While artificial intelligence, or AI, is reshaping both jobs and messaging in agriculture, CoBank data suggests human expertise still matters.
October 21, 2025 02:29 PM
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Bubba and Amy Miller run Miller Cattle Company in Eros, Louisiana. After visiting other homesteading fairs, they decided to put on their own.
October 21, 2025 02:28 PM
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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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