Tifton, GA |

For Georgia farmers, securing a reliable workforce is vital to a successful harvest—especially when it comes to fresh produce and specialty crops. That’s why many of them gathered in Tifton for the annual Agricultural Labor Relations Forum, an event aimed at keeping producers up-to-date on the latest changes to the country’s guest worker programs.

Beth Oleson, Director of Education for the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, says the forum continues to build momentum and foster productive dialogue between growers and regulatory agencies.

“I feel like we actually have gained some momentum. We’ve gained some, some real positive strides with our regulatory agencies. They’re here, they come every year, and they’re actually excited to be here. They’re listening to us. Changes are happening because our growers, our packers, our shippers, our processors are present and they’re having conversations. That’s what this forum is all about,” said Oleson.

According to Will Bentley, President of the Georgia Agribusiness Council, the H-2A guest worker program is essential to Georgia agriculture—especially since the domestic labor force is no longer a viable option for many growers.

“Georgia farmers are, you know, a top user of H-2A labor, typically between number one and number two, state of using the program in the country. So, I mean, it’s obviously important to our industry, especially on the fresh produce side and specialty crops and dairy and green industry and other things like that. So, it’s extremely important to us.”

“Unfortunately, the domestic labor force has shrunk to the point where it’s not really a reliable source of labor for picking crops or working in the fields. It’s become harder, and finding that labor has been more of a challenge. So really, having a dependable labor force through the H-2A program is really what makes Georgia agriculture successful in our ability to be diverse in the crops that we grow here in the state that we just simply couldn’t do if we weren’t able to have a dependable labor force.”

However, that reliance on guest labor has brought added uncertainty—especially as changes to the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) continue to strain farm budgets.

“Ten, twenty, thirty percent increases on your labor rate—especially when those decisions aren’t rolled out until kind of late winter when farmers are already making planting decisions, already making hiring decisions—and then they get an increase in their adverse wage rate that they’re required to pay. That’s been the biggest challenge is just offsetting that when farmers can’t just simply raise their prices,” Bentley explained. “We’re price takers. So, the commodity is kind of set on the market for what that’s going to go for a farmer. But then they get a huge increase on the labor side—not to mention the increases on inputs, whether it’s equipment or fertilizer or chemical. So, it’s just really been a challenge on the cost side for our farmers. And that’s really been the biggest obstacle for them being successful.”

Despite the challenges, organizers and attendees of the forum remain hopeful that continued education, conversation, and collaboration can help move the industry forward—ensuring that growers have the tools and labor they need to keep Georgia agriculture thriving.

By: John Holcomb