IFPA’s Hollay named to Wilson Center task force on ag labor

International Fresh Produce Association Director of U.S. Government Relations John Hollay has been named to a farm labor task force. 

The national task force, created by the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, aims to develop a series of evidence-based policy recommendations to improve labor recruitment and employment conditions for farmworkers throughout North America, according to a news release.

The work of the task force is part of an overarching project titled “Agriculture in North America–From Knowledge to Action” that will assess agricultural labor conditions in Mexico and the U.S. A final task force report is expected in early 2025, the release said.

Task force members recently toured production facilities in Mexico and met with legislative and regulatory officials to explore solutions to the farmworker labor challenge.

“The opportunity to serve on this task force and ensure that IFPA member voices are represented has been invaluable,” Hollay said in the release. “Ensuring that we have the workforce that is ready to meet the challenge of feeding a growing world is integral to the health of our planet and its people, and the success of our industry. I am honored to represent IFPA and its members on this task force to ensure that its recommendations align with how the fresh produce operates.”

In 2024, IFPA called on its members to contact Congress to enlist bipartisan consensus for the Supporting Farm Operations Act, which freezes wage rates for the H-2A program for two years.

“For years, the fresh produce industry and our agriculture sector partners have made an overwhelming case for legislation to reform our broken immigration system and help build a legal and reliable workforce, especially now that the USDA expects the U.S. to import more food than it exports starting this year,” Hollay said.

In addition, IFPA says it has provided comments to both the Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security, wherein the organization reinforced its commitment to building a workable H-2A program that is fair to employers and employees alike, but not at the expense of bad policy based on flawed theory that will jeopardize the future of the fresh produce industry.

Additional resources on fresh produce workforce can be found on the IFPA website, the release said.