AEWR

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...

Ag labor is the top issue for many agricultural operations across the Pacific Northwest, but many in the farming community feel lawmakers in D.C. continue to kick the problem down the road. While fruits and vegetables typically come to mind when talking about Ag labor, Rick Naerebout, CEO of the Idaho Dairyman’s Association says their industry is also extremely dependent on farm workers. Des ...

Farmworker groups filed a lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of trying to suppress worker wages. Their suit asks a federal judge to set aside a Labor Department rule that could cut agricultural guest worker wages by up to $170 million over the next ten years ...

Earlier this week, the Department of Labor announced a change in how farm labor rate increases are determined. Allison Crittenden, American Farm Bureau Federation Congressional Relations Director, said the final rule no longer uses USDA’s Farm Labor Survey for workers who fall under core farm occupations. ...

On Monday, the Labor Department issued a final rule that updates the methodology for determining the annual Adverse Effect Wage Rates in the H-2A visa program. The Trump administration claims the new rule improves the consistency of the wage rates, provides stronger protections for workers, and establishes better stability and predictability for employers ...

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.  ...

Last week, the Labor Department officially proposed to streamline the H2-A program.  The American Farm Bureau Federation is evaluating the nearly 500-page proposal and will provide input on behalf of farmers.  Allison Crittenden, AFBF congressional relations director, said farmers and ranchers need a better guest worker program.   “...