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Dairy groups calls H-2A amendment step in right direction

Dairy groups are applauding a federal proposal that would make it legal for farm workers to use the H-2A farm worker visa program for full-time and permanent employment… but American Dairy Coalition CEO Laurie Fischer says more is needed.  “This would be for new workers coming in.  This does not allow those workers that are currently here working to utilize (it).  We do need something for those undocumented workers.”

Washington State Congressman Dan Newhouse successfully amended the 2018 Department of Homeland Security funding bill to eliminate the H-2A program’s temporary or seasonal limits.

Fischer tells Brownfield she’s optimistic about a proposed bill by House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte.  “It moves the H-2A program completely away and opens a new visa program called an H-2C which will be run by the USDA instead of the Department of Labor.”

She says the Goodlatte bill might be introduced in a few weeks, and there are other bills in committee including one from Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson that would let the states run their own visa program.

The Newhouse H2A amendment also has the support of the National Milk Producers Federation.

Spokesman Chris Galen says, “It’s a step in the right direction.  It’s certainly not going to solve all of the farm labor challenges affecting dairy or the overall agriculture industry.”

Galen says the Newhouse amendment is more of a short-term fix and National Milk Producers are also working on long-term proposals with legislators.

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  All the ADC wants to do is keep “cheap” labor. WI grew its AG workforce from June 2016 71K to June 2017 109K. WIth NO problem.
  And even as Undocumented workers not only stopped coming but started evacuating back to whence they came. So it is quite obvious American workers will DO AG if given a reasonable shot at making a decent living.
  Not to mentiom many Dairies are rapidly switching to robotic milkers.
  NOT to mention 85% of U.S. Dairies do NOT use cheap undocumented labor.
  The crap proposed is for large Dairies at the expense of the small Dairy.
  When will Brownfield or ANY AG Media stand up for the small farmer?
  Answer: NEVER

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  When we have millions of Americans out of work and on welfare – and the best the agriculture industry can come up with is importing foreign workers, you just have to ask why?!!!!

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