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Specialty‑crop growers warn H‑2A wage rises threaten viability; mechanization and R&D proposed
Summary
Specialty‑crop witnesses told the committee that labor comprises a large share of production costs, recent H‑2A wage increases are squeezing margins, and investment in mechanization, research and crop‑protection registrations could help maintain domestic specialty production.
Specialty‑crop producers and their coalition representatives told the House Agriculture Committee that labor is the single largest expense for many fruit, vegetable and tree‑nut operations and that rising H‑2A wages are becoming unsustainable for some producers.
Ryan Talley of Talley Farms, representing the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, said labor can account for “nearly half of the cost of our production” and that H‑2A wage increases…
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