Episode 253: H-2A and the Farm Labor Crisis

Agriculture news has gone mainstream in a big way recently, and few farmers are happy about it. Immigration raids on farms, especially those in California and elsewhere along the U.S.’s southern border, have been growing as Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials become a more and more constant presence on the road and in the field. And even farmers whose workers are hired through the H2-A program, the federal guest worker system, are feeling the heat. Today, DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton brings us up to date on all the latest policy news around the agricultural workforce. We’ll dig into the details of his recent story on the H-2A program, talking through the benefits and the drawbacks farmers experience, and why it seems to be becoming increasingly expensive and risky to use, even as the number of H-2A visa requests continues to grow. We’ll also hear updates from Capitol Hill and the White House about how farmers' concerns are being heard and what policy solutions might be on the way as advocates continue to raise their voices.Then, we’ll hear about how labor issues collide with shifting trade pressures, trends in the U.S. workforce, and even changes to federal staffing levels due to recent restructuring of key organizations, including the USDA.