Labor

DOL issues H-2A wage rule, ag groups voice displeasure

The Department of Labor issued its new rule for determining wages for ag workers in the H-2A temporary visa program, and industry groups were quick to voice their displeasure with the new rule. The National... more »

Lewis Taylor Farms counters rising labor costs

Lewis Taylor Farms Inc., one of the Southeast’s largest privately-owned vegetable and greenhouse operations, battles escalating costs through in-house mechanization and efficient use of labor as well as improved methods of fighting pests and diseases.... more »

Congress sidesteps ag labor, immigration reform again

Legislation to address agricultural immigration reform is dead this Congressional session, with legislators approving an omnibus appropriations bill that doesn’t address any of the H-2A wage reform, labor availability and other workforce issues sought by... more »

How is the labor situation affecting your operation?

The Vegetable Growers News is seeking input from growers on the labor situation in the U.S. with a survey. It’s a hot-button issue for all areas of agriculture, but it’s become of critical concern in... more »

USDA’s Census of Agriculture depends on you

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is conducting the 2022 Census of Agriculture. Every five years, the USDA seeks information from producers in all 50 states. The department issued survey codes to all known agriculture producers... more »

PickTrace labor management expands services

A labor management company that offers fresh produce industry growers a digital solution for time, attendance and productivity tracking of employees has expanded services to ease hiring and payment processes. PickTrace, Glendale, California, first offered... more »

Walla Walla sweets: Locati Farms counters higher costs, supply shortages

Locati Farms, a Walla Walla, Washington, sweet onion grower, adapts to challenges by changing growing practices and using technology to improve the quality of the region’s namesake onion. For more than a century, Locati Farms... more »

Field worker wages up 6%, signaling hike for H-2A pay

Field workers at U.S. farms received an average of $17.04 per hour in October, an increase of 6% from the same month in 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Labor Survey. The... more »

IFPA calls H-2A wages an ‘assault’ on produce industry

The International Fresh Produce Association is projecting an almost 7% average increase pay rates for workers in the H-2A program, based on the recent release of the annual U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Labor Survey... more »

Ag labor group sues to halt H-2A changes

The National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE) has filed a legal challenge to changes in the H-2A program. The lawsuit alleges that the Department of Labor has “unlawfully repealed a final rule duly issued, prescribed... more »

Current Issue

VGN April Cover

Insect Eavesdropper allows growers to “hear” what’s happening in fields

Managing wildlife on the farm

Southwest Florida’s Worden Farm manages challenges

Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association says farewell to leader

Southeast Regional Show recognizes leaders

Veg Connections: Biopesticides and beneficial insects

Business: Why do most succession plans fail?

60 years of advocating for agricultural employers

Keeping CSA members engaged and loyal

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