MWCA endorses “Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act”
The Midwest Council on Agriculture (MWCA) today announced its endorsement of the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act following its June monthly meeting, where members received a policy briefing from House Agriculture Committee Policy Director Trevor White.
White provided an in-depth overview of the legislation, which is beginning to circulate in the U.S. House of Representatives and represents a bipartisan effort to modernize the nation’s agricultural labor system. The bill builds on recommendations from the Agriculture Labor Working Group, composed of members of the House Committee on Agriculture.
“American farmers raise some of the safest and most economical food in the world and having a stable work force is just as critical as land, equipment, and inputs.” said Jarred Billadeau, MWCA Vice-President and North Dakota Farmer. “As a farmer who utilizes the H-2A work program, I can say this bill recognizes that reality and provides a workable party moving forward.”
Originally established in 1986, the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Program has not kept pace with the evolution of U.S. agriculture. Producers across sectors continue to face workforce shortages that threaten productivity, supply chains, and food availability.
The Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act addresses these challenges through several key reforms:
Expanding Access: Allows year-round agricultural operations, such as dairy and livestock, to participate by removing the seasonal work requirement while maintaining the temporary nature of employment.
Controlling Costs: Codifies recent wage rate reforms to provide greater predictability and reduce volatility for both employers and workers.
Streamlining the Program: Creates a modern, online platform to simplify interactions with federal agencies, reduce delays, and improve efficiency.
Enhancing Flexibility: Provides commonsense updates to better reflect the diversity and dynamic needs of agricultural production.
The legislation also includes provisions to stabilize the current agricultural workforce by allowing experienced workers already contributing to U.S. agriculture to transition into legal status under the H-2A program, subject to background checks and program requirements.
MWCA joins more than 35 national and state organizations in endorsing the legislation, including members of the Agriculture Workforce Coalition, American Farm Bureau Federation, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, National Milk Producers Federation, National Pork Producers Council, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s about keeping farms viable, strengthening rural economics and ensuring Americans continue to have access to safe affordable food that is domestically produced.” Billadeau said. “Chairman Thompson takes the positive parts of the current H-2A program and builds upon them by making improvements and efficiencies across all areas of agriculture. We look forward to helping him make it a reality.”
MWCA thanks Chairman GT Thompson for his leadership and urges members of Congress to support and advance this important legislation.
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