A new piece of U.S. legislation is proposing reforms to the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Program, the only visa program in the country designed specifically for farm labor. The program has grown dramatically — from fewer than 100,000 certified positions in 2013 to nearly 400,000 in recent years — and the bill targets how it functions structurally.
H-2A is the backbone of seasonal labor for a wide range of North American produce categories, from berries and stone fruit to leafy greens and field vegetables. Any changes to eligibility, wage requirements, housing mandates, or processing timelines have direct cost implications for growers and, by extension, buyers and category managers pricing programs.
This is a separate legislative push from the House Ag Chair's previously covered H-2A reform effort, and it signals growing Congressional momentum around the program. Worth tracking how the two proposals interact and whether either gains traction during the Farm Bill window.