Growers urge Congress to fix H‑2A and deliver a stable farm workforce
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Growers and state officials told the House Agriculture Committee that specialty crop producers need a stable, legal agricultural workforce now, and urged bipartisan reforms to the H‑2A program and immigration-linked proposals to preserve production and lower costs.
WASHINGTON — Specialty crop growers and state agriculture officials told the House Agriculture Committee that the industry’s immediate priority is a dependable farm workforce and that H‑2A reform is essential to keep farms operating. Michael Fraunce, co‑owner of Fraunce Wholesale Nursery, told the committee, "we urgently need a bipartisan legal ag labor workforce solution." Fraunce, who runs a diversified nursery in California, said lack of labor prevents farms from filling orders and seizing opportunities.
Committee members and witnesses described a range of changes growers want, including clarifying the adverse effect wage rate (AWER), streamlining applications, allowing longer contracts in some cases, and regional permitting to reflect local labor markets. Rep. Austin Scott (R‑Ga.) and others emphasized that rapid AWER increases are squeezing farms and raising production costs.
Why it matters: Specialty crops are labor‑intensive and often harvested by hand. Witnesses said labor costs are a major input and that uncertainty about worker availability and wage rules has forced some farmers to delay investments or question passing farms to the next generation. Multiple witnesses urged Congress to act on bipartisan proposals discussed in the Ag Labor Working Group.
Supporting details: Witnesses described several recurring practical problems: widely varying wage calculations midseason, burdensome multiple petitions, and the lack of a single electronic application tracked by farmers. Michael Fraunce said growers sometimes "throw ROI to the wind" to invest in mechanization only because labor is unavailable. Dana Brennan, vice president for corporate affairs at Grimway Farms, said the industry has backed bipartisan bills such as the Farm Workforce Modernization Act and asked Congress to continue work on reforms.
Discussion versus action: Members repeatedly asked for legislative fixes; witnesses asked for a streamlined, regionalized H‑2A and a reliable legal workforce. No formal committee action occurred at the hearing; members said they will pursue solutions in forthcoming legislation and referrals.
Ending: Lawmakers on both parties said they would continue bipartisan work on ag labor. Witnesses and several members asked for additional briefings and written proposals to convert the committee’s recommendations into legislative language.