Adverse Effect Wage Rate

The American Farm Bureau Federation is urging Congress to pass legislation freezing the “flawed” 2023 Adverse Effect Wage Rate, or AEWR.  AFBF said the rate distorts labor costs for farmers across the country who hire nearly 400,000 employees through the H-2A program.   The bipartis...

As producers look to a new growing season, several issues remain unresolved, chief among them is the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. Because of delays in D.C., the Adverse Effect Wage Rate is forecast to increase to $17.41 an hour this year ...

Last week, United Farm Workers filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for suspending a farm labor survey. Last month, the USDA announced the intention to suspend the Agricultural Labor Survey. The Department of Ag claims the public can access other data sources for the data collected in the survey ...

Late last week, the Agriculture Workforce Coalition urged the U.S. Senate to take up legislation to solve the agricultural labor crisis.  A letter penned by the coalition urges lawmakers to address the Adverse Effect Wage Rate, which increased nationally by 6% for 2020.  ...

In fiscal year 2019, the H-2A farm labor program again set a record for certified positions, the number of applications processed and approved.  American Farm Bureau Federation Economist Veronica Nigh considers the more than 258,000 certified positions in 2019 a milestone.  ...