Search - The Packer

Just as immigration reform continues to elude lawmakers in Washington, D.C., a stable workforce continues to elude grower-shippers in California’s Salinas Valley.

The National Council of Agricultural Employers hosted a web seminar on the H-2A guest worker program that was so popular, the group is making it available on video.

Local food is maintaining its strong appeal in the Twin Cities, but tight and expensive labor make it a challenging business environment for growers.

(UPDATED, 11:38 a.m.)Taking a step to deliver on a 2018 promise, a proposed rule from the Trump administration seeks to update the way wage rates are determined for the H-2A agricultural guest worker program.

Just shy of five years after they voted on union representation, Fresno, Calif.-based Gerawan Farming employees have had their votes officially certified by the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board.

The U.S. Department of Labor has issued a final rule that will allow agricultural employers to advertise for domestic workers online rather than in a newspaper before they turn to foreign guest workers.

The Texas International Produce Association is teaming with Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) and CIERTO Global to host two workshops on labor challenges.

Growers and industry leaders are praising the Trump administration’s plan to overhaul the H-2A guest worker program, changing the way wages are determined and streamlining other parts.

UPDATED: The U.S. and Guatemala are pursuing a program to boost H-2A workers from that country, in an effort to stem what the Department of Homeland Security calls irregular migration patterns.

NEW YORK — Some of the state’s fresh produce industry leaders say the proposed New York Farm Laborer Fair Labor Practices Act will hurt the agricultural industry, but they are relieved for a bit of compromise.