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Senator Dianne Feinstein has added her voice to industry leaders asking for timely processing of Mexican H-2A workers needed to harvest U.S. produce crops.

A new temporary rule will allow H-2A workers to stay in the U.S. beyond the current three-year maximum and should give U.S. growers a bigger pool of guest farmworkers to fill their needs.

Seeking wage relief for U.S. growers using foreign guest workers, the National Council of Agricultural Employers still wants the U.S. Department of Labor to determine if U.S. workers are hurt by the H-2A program.

Though unlikely to get much support from Democrats, a bill from Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.), aims to establish a year-round ag guest-worker program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Stemilt Growers has achieved a three-year Equitable Food Initiative certification at its Quincy, Wash., apple and cherry orchard operation. The company has plans to expand the program, according to a news release.

How much growers will pay for guest workers in the H-2A program in 2021 is unknown because of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to suspend a report used to set wages.

The National Council of Agricultural Employers, a trade association focused on farm labor issues, will have its annual Ag Labor Forum online this year.

In a decision praised by farmworker advocates, a U.S. District Court has issued a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the USDA’s decision in September to suspend the annual Farm Labor Survey.

Growing sweet potatoes is a labor-intensive business

This year, Fyffes completed its first corporate-wide Human Rights Impact Asssessment and published its Global Human Rights Policy and Statement.