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AFBF says Congress needs some urgency to fix labor crisis

A policy expert says Congress needs to quickly pass solutions that address the labor crisis.

Sam Kieffer, vice president of public policy for the American Farm Bureau Federation, says the issue won’t be resolved without bipartisan collaboration.

“What it takes is the intestinal fortitude of members of Congress and congressional leaders to put aside their differences and come together and focus on solving a problem as opposed to electioneering.”

He tells Brownfield a recent report from the U.S. House Ag Committee laid out a plan to help relieve labor shortages that have impacted America’s farmers and ranchers.

“The House Ag Committee had an agriculture labor working group that put out bipartisan recommendations on things that are achievable, things that can be done and things that need to be done in order to improve the agriculture labor situation.”

The working group released final recommendation to improve the H-2A guest worker program which includes a temporary wage freeze.

Kieffer spoke to Brownfield a recent Plant Based Products Council meeting in Omaha, Nebraska.