Growers to brace themselves for more H-2A regulations

Added on 18 August 2022

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Growers to brace themselves for more H-2A regulations

Growers should expect more regulations in the next couple years for H-2A and H-2B programs, according to industry experts at Cultivate'22. Growers are relying on foreign labor more and more, but the outlook is dim in terms of improving ease and access to the programs.

Craig Regelbrugge, Senior Vice President of AmericanHort, Shawn Packer of JPH Law Firm, and Tom Bortnyk of MAS Labor discussed industry challenges at a session titled "Labor Issues and Trends" in Columbus, OH. Regelbrugge gave an overview of pending legislation.

"Last year, the House of Representatives passed a bill called the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. It was a hard fought, difficult negotiation, but at the end of the day it was a bipartisan bill that seeks to stabilize the current workforce that lacks really good documents and also to make some modifications to H-2A," Regelbrugge said.

"I have to be very candid, in a House where Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi is holding the gavel and the Democrats have the majority, we were in a less than optimal negotiating environment, but at least there was a negotiation. It's fair to say the legislation that resulted has a number of good features. It falls short of our desires in some areas and it opens up some cans of worms in other areas. It's a mixed bag, as you might expect," he said.