H2-A

The vaccine mandate for H-2A foreign guest workers went into effect January 22nd but will it make getting workers more difficult this year? Dan Fazio, director of the Washington Farm Labor Association, says the system they put into place last year should keep everything running smoothly ...

The American Farm Bureau Federation recently joined all 50 state Farm Bureaus and Puerto Rico Farm Bureau in sending a letter urging the Biden administration to address the surge of undocumented immigrants entering the United States. The letter went to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland as well as Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas ...

A federal court in California issued a preliminary injunction against the Labor Department’s decision to freeze farm workers’ wages for those that use the H-2A Program. Fruit and Nut Grower News said the freeze would effectively lower the wages of several hundred thousand guest farm workers employed in the United States. A prelimi ...

NASS intends to reinstate the Agricultural Labor Survey, after suspending it on September 30th. NASS will mail the questionnaires and collect data immediately for the survey period that was originally scheduled for October of 2020. The report will be published on February 11th and will include data for the July and October 2020 reference dates ...

Mark Powers with the Northwest Horticultural Council says many of the Ag labor concerns the farming community was addressing before the pandemic will return in 2021. If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekmedia... Read More ...

Mark Powers with the Northwest Horticultural Council talks about Ag Labor, the pandemic and what we may look forward to in 2021. If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekmedia.com

As the coronavirus pandemic broke out and spread across the U.S., more and more consumers were interested in the source of their food, as well as those providing it, that according to a recent Washington State University study. “Respondents generally became more concerned about food being a national security issue and people, our respondents, generally had a higher degree of empathy for H-2A worke

Farmworker advocates are pleased the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California issued a temporary restraining order and an injunction against the USDA decision to suspend the annual Farm Labor Survey. The Packer said unless the decision gets appealed, it means USDA has to conduct its Farm Labor Survey and issue its annual Farm Labor Report in November ...

New features on the the USDA's website will help facilitate the employment of H-2A workers. The USDA announced the new features Monday, which includes a real-time dashboard that enables farmers to track the status of their eligible employer application and visa applications for temporary nonimmigrant workers ...

On Monday a lawsuit was filed against Stemilt Ag Services claiming a violation of federal anti-trafficking laws and more. Two H-2A workers identified in the suit said the Wenatchee-based company violated the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act as well as the Washington Law Against Discrimination through threats and intimidation ...