Agriculture and Immigration

Question 1

What is FWD.us?

Answer 1

Pro-immigration lobbying group that works on behalf of migrants and fights for immigration reform and criminal justice reform

Question 2

What percent of the agricultural workforce are immigrants?

Answer 2

73%

Question 3

According to AFBF, how many migrant workers does American agriculture need?

Answer 3

1.5 to 2 million each year

Question 4

What percent of California farmers are struggling to find workers?

Answer 4

56% of farmers couldn’t find enough workers in the last 5 years.

Question 5

What are the main 2 workers on farms?

Answer 5

1. Self-employed farm operators and their family members
2. Hired workers

Question 6

How much has hired farm labor declined from 1950-1990?

Answer 6

2.33 million to 1.15 million, a 51% reduction

Question 7

What percent of the US workforce do hired farm workers make up?

Answer 7

1%

Question 8

What percent of total expenses do hired farmworkers cost?

Answer 8

12% of production expenses for farmers

Question 9

What are the average farmworker wages in 2020?

Answer 9

$14.62

Question 10

What is the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Program?

Answer 10

Visa program that provides legal means to foreign born workers to the USA to perform seasonal farm labor on a temporary basis for up to 10 months

Question 11

How long can farmers use H-2A permits?

Answer 11

Crop farmers can use this program to meet seasonal needs, but other producers are not eligible to use this labor for year-long operations (exception is made for livestock on the range, such as sheep, goat, who can use year round)

Question 12

What are some H-2A requirements?

Answer 12

• Must be paid a state specific minimum wage
• Must meet the Adverse Effect Wage Rate
• Employers must provide housing and pay for their workers domestic and international transportation

Question 13

How many H-2A in total in FY 2020 and how many of these are yearlong positions?

Answer 13

• 275,000 in FY 2020, 127,00 fulltime

Question 14

What is the Adverse Effect Wage Rate?

Answer 14

regional wage average observed by the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the Farm Labor Survey

Question 15

What is the National Farmworker Jobs Program?

Answer 15

• Federal government directed program created by Congress in response to chronic seasonal unemployment experienced by migrant and seasonal farm workers.
• Funds for migrant and seasonal farmworkers: economic self-sufficiency, acquire new skills for jobs offering better pay