AFBF Applauds Introduction of the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act
Zippy Duvall
President
Chad Smith
Associate News Service Editor, NAFB
photo credit: Mark Stebnicki, North Carolina Farm Bureau; used with permission.
Zippy Duvall
President
Chad Smith
Associate News Service Editor, NAFB
America’s farmers face a labor crisis. Chad Smith has more on a possible solution emerging in Washington, D.C., this week.
Smith: Shortages of agricultural labor threaten American farmers’ ability to grow the food that families rely on. However, House Ag Committee Chair G.T. Thompson is working on a bill to help solve the problem. Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, said the “Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act” will address the top issue he hears about from farmers.
Duvall: Everywhere I travel in this country, I hear farmers talk about, ‘I can't find enough people to help me,’ and that is a problem. It's the biggest limiting factor that we have in American agriculture. I didn't choose to quit milking cows because I love dairy, but I had to make the choice to quit because I could not find dependable labor that would show up every day to help me get it done.
Smith: A key element of the new legislation is increasing access to a year-round workforce.
Duvall: The H-2A program that currently exists is a seasonal guest worker program. In certain parts of this country, it doesn't make any difference what you're doing. The work’s there every day, whether it's harvesting a crop or pruning and preparing them for the next crop. So, the biggest issue is having year-round workers.
Smith: Duvall said Farm Bureau is grateful to Chairman Thompson for his leadership on this issue.
Duvall: He's been a champion for agriculture for many, many years, and as chairman, he's exercising his authority to take care of the real problems that farmers and ranchers are facing. In the real world, we need workers. He understands that.
Smith: Learn more at fb.org/news. Chad Smith, Washington.
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