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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has added information on how to apply for H-2A visas on the farmers.gov website.

U.S. growers are losing experienced workers, and immigration and border control policies are leading to chronic labor shortages, Western Growers CEO and President Tom Nassif told members of Congress.

Apple growers from across the country participated in the U.S. Apple Association’s Capitol Hill Day, meeting with more than 100 legislative offices on trade, labor and farm bill issues.

A 10-acre hydroponic greenhouse complex and a large potato farming operation in O’Neill, Neb., were two of several agricultural businesses targeted in raids by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Produce Marketing Association and United Fresh Produce Association, which jointly launched the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices, are offering a web seminar as they seek endorsers of the document.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Equitable Food Initiative hopes that its “Responsibly Grown Farmworker Assured” label will elevate the status of those suppliers in the eyes of the produce buying community.

A court decision could come as soon as early February on a motion for a preliminary injunction against the Department of Labor’s 2019 wage rates for foreign agricultural guest workers.

Securing adequate labor has been a challenge throughout the California produce industry in recent years, and the labor market tends to get even tighter during the summer.

A partial government shutdown that began Dec. 22 could stretch deep into January and could mean delays and trouble for the H-2A agricultural guest worker program used by produce growers.

Seeking to stop higher 2019 wage rates for the H-2A guest worker program, the National Council of Agricultural Employers has filed a court action against the Department of Labor.