Farmers and ranchers recently met with USDA and the Department of Labor to address the ongoing labor shortage in agriculture.
The conversation focused on challenges tied to the H-2A visa program, wages, and the impact of labor scarcity on farms.
A North Carolina farmer shared her experience, stressing the critical role immigrant workers play in keeping her farm running.
“How much I could not farm without them, because I would not have a workforce. Also, how my wages have gone up due to the way the adverse wage effect affected North Carolina about three years ago, and then that following year, and how dependable we are in the United States on this to grow vegetable and fruit crops,” said Faylene Whitaker.
Whitaker also urges farmers to contact elected officials and share how labor shortages impact their farms and the need for a legal workforce.
In a final rule published in the Federal Register, the Department states that it will no longer base wage rates on the Farm Labor Survey.
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