Wisconsin Farm Group Helping Producers Navigate H-2A Visa Program as Ag Industry Struggles to Find Enough Labor

Thursday, July 11th, 2024 -- 9:00 AM

(Hope Kirwan, Wisconsin Public Radio) A Wisconsin farm group is helping producers navigate the process of bringing in foreign workers as the ag industry struggles to find enough labor.

According to Hope Kirwan with Wisconsin Public Radio, the Wisconsin Farm Bureau recently announced a new partnership with Great Lakes Ag Labor Service, a company started by the Michigan Farm Bureau to help producers hire workers through the federal H-2A visa program.

It allows employers to bring in foreign workers for a limited time to fill seasonal farm jobs. Sarah Black, general manager of Great Lakes Ag Labor Services, said the program is used by producers of all commodities, from dairy to produce to corn and soybeans.

“People think, ‘Oh, that’s only for the really large farms,’” Black said. “In reality, we have a lot of farms that bring in one worker. So it’s the smallest of farms all the way up to the largest farms, because there’s no cap on the number of visas that you can petition for.”

Black said her company started 10 years ago in response to a growing interest in H-2A workers and has also expanded to Farm Bureaus in Texas, Ohio and Indiana. She said demand has increased even further since the COVID-19 pandemic shook labor markets across the economy.

“Basically every corner that you drive by has a ‘help wanted’ sign,” she said, “It’s no different for our farmers. They’re struggling as well, trying to get a reliable workforce to help them in food production.”

Black said her company can help farms figure out how to meet the program’s requirements, file applications and recruit workers. But she said the H-2A program is not a quick fix, especially because farms are required to provide free housing and sometimes transportation to the temporary workers.

Black said she encourages producers to start thinking about how they’ll meet the program requirements well before they need help on the farm.

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