More and more farms are turning to the H-2A Program to lean on a reliable source of labor. Nigel Bocanegra, Executive Director of the California Farm Labor Contractors Association (CFLCA), has helped many farms make the transition to include H-2A labor in their workforce. We tapped into his knowledge during our recent conversation with him, discussing what the future of farm labor looks like based on the trends he has observed.
Read MoreLabor shortages are an obvious problem for the American agriculture industry. Time and time again, we hear there aren’t enough people wanting to do these labor-intensive jobs. A grower in Washington commented they previously operated on hope. But hope isn’t a strategy—so many growers are now turning to the H-2A program.
Read More“The efficiency to have everybody on direct deposit or payroll cards is going to be wonderful. I can’t imagine how anybody else would still keep printing out checks.” - Olivia Juarez, HR Manager, NWFM
Read MoreHiring employees means complying with regulations around taxes, documentation and more… and non-compliance is expensive. I-9 Forms, which are used to verify the identity and employment authorization status of employees, are a common area of non-compliance.
Read MoreGanaz, the workforce management and financial services platform for agriculture and food manufacturing, today announced its $7M Series A financing led by Trilogy Equity with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners, Founders’ Co-op, Taylor Ventures, AgFunder and Techstars.
Read MoreIt was a hot summer afternoon in Quincy, WA. Tumbleweed bounced down the streets as buses of farm workers rolled into town. It was Friday--payday.
Read MoreWe had a great time connecting with employers at the Ag Labor Forum. If you missed it, here’s the recording of our Live session where we demoed our tools and answer some great questions.
Read MoreTogether we are experiencing truly trying times as the global Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to affect our communities and businesses. The processing of H2A visas is still uncertain and this might further affect agricultural companies with labor shortages. In these difficult times, it’s truly important that our food system stays strong. To address the current challenges, communication is key.
Read More$3.1B is lost each year as farms are unable to plant, harvest or process their crops due to the labor shortage. Just about every grower I know has a heartbreaking story of having to leave their crops unpicked. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act would
Allow farmworkers to seek legal status in the US
Make the H2A program more flexible
Require e-verify (though thankfully only after providing legal status to existing workers)
In the wake of the failed Senate attempts, President Trump is now backing U.S. House Rep. Bob Goodlatte’s solution which mandates e-verify and overhauls the H2A program. Goodlatte’s bill addresses DACA, funds border security, ends chain migration, ends the visa lottery, and replaces the H2A program with the new H2C program.
Read MoreOn November 16, 2017, the USDA released its October 2017 survey data detailing that average wages for all hired workers are up 3% year-over-year and the national average for field worker wages is now $12.51/hour.
Read MoreThe Agricultural Guestworker Act (AG Act or H2C) would replace the H2A program and allow an additional 500,000 non-residents to work year-round on US farms and ranches.
Read MoreAs of April 2017, only six states in the US report average farmworker wages below $12/hour--AR, LA, MS, GA, SC and AL. This USDA wage survey data includes field workers, livestock workers, and other roles like tractor drivers. For all farm labor, the US average is now $13.23/hour.
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