A shortage of labor has been an ongoing issue within the ag industry. For the first time last week, President Trump addressed the issue during a Cabinet meeting saying that his administration is looking into providing some relief to farmers and hotel operators who employ immigrants who aren’t here legally.
“We have to take care of our farmers, hotels and, you know, various places where they need the people.”
Trump has suggested that a new program will be set up to help legalize farmworkers and reduce the risk of farmers losing undocumented workers to mass deportations.
“We’re also going to work with farmers, that if they have strong recommendations for certain people, we’re going to let them stay in for a while and work with the farmers and then come back and go through a process, a legal process.”
He said that undocumented workers will be given a chance to self-deport and return to the country legally under the recommendation of a farm owner or manager.
“So, a farmer will come in with a letter concerning certain people saying they’re great, they’re working hard. We’re going to slow down a little bit for them, and then we’re going to, ultimately, bring them back. They’ll go out, they’re going to come back as legal workers.”
Many ag organizations have also been urging your lawmakers in Congress to revise the federal H-2A Visa program, which only allows ag workers from outside the U.S. to stay here and work legally for nine months. The program was initially set up with seasonal jobs in mind, such as harvesting fruits and vegetables, but beef, pork, poultry, and dairy producers all say they need workers for more than just nine months at a time.
Among the organizations that have been pushing Congressional lawmakers for Ag Labor Reform include the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) and the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC).
CLICK BELOW for Hoosier Ag Today’s radio news report:
