TIFTON, Ga. (Farm Monitor) — Georgia fruit and vegetable growers say rising costs and complicated requirements are making the H-2A guest worker program increasingly difficult to use.
The program remains essential for growers struggling to find enough domestic workers, with labor accounting for as much as 40% to 50% of production costs for fresh fruits and vegetables.
Those challenges brought industry leaders together at the Georgia Ag Labor Forum to discuss ways to make the program more affordable and predictable.
One proposal is the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act, which would streamline H-2A and provide greater wage stability.
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