{"id":145,"date":"2020-09-21T17:09:03","date_gmt":"2020-09-21T21:09:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nationalpotatocouncil.org\/?page_id=145"},"modified":"2023-02-28T09:24:05","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28T14:24:05","slug":"agricultural-labor","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.nationalpotatocouncil.org\/advocacy\/policy-priorities\/agricultural-labor\/","title":{"rendered":"Agricultural Labor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Our Position<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

American agriculture depends on a stable workforce to plant, harvest, process, and ship its crops. However, domestic workers provide an insufficient source of labor for the potato industry and for other specialty crop producers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farm Workforce Modernization Act<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The agriculture industry is experiencing a critical shortage of labor to plant and harvest crops. Estimates are that upwards of 70% of the overall agriculture labor in the U.S. is provided by an improperly documented immigrant workforce. This highly vulnerable workforce creates uncertainty for the workers and the farms and ranches that employ them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sole agricultural guest worker program (H-2A) supplies only 10% of the necessary agricultural workforce, in part because it operates in a cumbersome and unresponsive manner. In particular, the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) that is required for the H-2A program has skyrocketed recently by over 20% annually in certain states. This unworkable structure drives employers away from the program and harms investment in rural America that would otherwise occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The passage of the bipartisan Farm Workforce Modernization Act in the 116th Congress was the first time the House of Representatives had successfully acted upon agricultural labor reform in over 20 years. In the 117th Congress, the House passed this bipartisan compromise for the second time. Unfortunately, the Senate failed both times to provide improvements and both efforts died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 118th Congress must create a secure and long-term fix to this crisis through the following actions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create a New Guestworker Program<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Congress must create a new guestworker program with the flexibility to meet the current and future demands of American agriculture that includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n