Emphasizing Impact of the Farm Labor Survey for Growers
USDA sends out two surveys a year. The Agricultural (Farm) Labor Survey provides the basis for employment and wage estimates for all workers directly hired by U.S. farms and ranches (excluding Alaska) for each of four quarterly reference weeks.
The quarterly estimates, in turn, provide the basis for the annual average estimates. The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) publishes quarterly and annual estimates for the U.S. as a whole, each of 15 multistate labor regions, and the single-state regions of California, Florida, and Hawaii. The target population includes all farms that produced and sold, or normally would have sold, $1,000 or more of agricultural products in the survey year.
In the survey, respondents are asked to report the total wages paid during one-week for four months of the year. The reference weeks are usually from January 7 to 13, April 7 to 13, July 7 to 13, and October 7 to 13. These dates are pertinent because, depending on the week in question, the number of field workers employed by most producers in Texas will vary greatly.
During January and April reference weeks, there will be significantly more field workers than during the July and October weeks. Therefore, the average wage rates will be lower when Texas producers are harvesting crops since the harvest hands are generally paid less than the year- round staff, who are the only ones included in the July and October reports.
When USDA sends the results of the survey to the Department of Labor, the department then establishes the Adverse Effective Wage Rate (AEWR), which is the amount that anyone hiring H-2A workers, must pay to those workers, as well as local workers performing the same type of work. The AEWR varies greatly across different regions of the country, with Hawaii having the highest rate at $20.08 and the Delta region (Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas) having the lowest.
Texas and Oklahoma have an AEWR rate of $15.79. Texas had 13,710 H-2A positions certified for 2024, an increase of 1,635. It is important to note that the additional expenses — such as visa application fees, attorneys’ fees, housing, and transportation — are not included in the total cost of hiring H-2A workers. This year, there was also a $600 fee per application to pay fund the processing of asylum seekers, which is unrelated to the H-2A program.
The survey does not take into account the number of years an employee has worked, the level of expertise, their specific duties, or any supervisory responsibilities they may have. It also does not survey labor contractors and covers less than 5% of the nation’s farms. Essentially, this survey provides detrimental information to the Department of Labor. The AEWR has increased by more than 100% in the past 10 years, making it impossible for farmers who use the program to control their labor costs. These workers send their earnings back to their families to improve their lives. Additionally, they work legally, so they don’t have to succumb to the treacherous alternative or coming to the U.S. illegally.
RELATED CONTENT: One Vegetable Grower Shares Her Secret to Farm Labor Success
H-2A workers can only be employed for a total for a total of 10 months before they must return home, making the program unsuitable for yearlong employers such as dairy farms.
We need to make our elected officials aware of essential improvements to the H-2A program.
Subscribe Today For
