H-2A is the 'future' for agriculture businesses in the region

MISSION, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Farmers from across the Rio Grande Valley met on Thursday, searching for solutions as labor shortages continue to impact operations.

One potential solution is a temporary visa program, which is used in other states. Dante Galeazzi with the Texas International Produce Association says the H-2A program may be the answer.

“Even the local crews in Uvalde and here are getting smaller and smaller, so H-2A is the future, whether you like it, love it, or not, it is what we have to learn how to do," Galeazzi said.

With immigration crackdowns tightening, the H-2A program could become a crucial path forward as farmers such as Michael Davis from Tex-Mex Sales recognize the H-2A program, which brings in temporary foreign workers when U.S. Workers are not available.

“It has become a lot harder to get big groups of people," Davis said. "You can certainly find people, but it's just to be a lot smaller groups. Instead of seeing a group of eighty or a hundred people, you are going to see groups of forty or thirty, so just the scaling is different.”

Shortages in labor pools have forced Texas farmers to consider other options. However, Davis and others see the program as too costly and complicated, and with harvest season fast approaching, there is growing concern.

“The only problem is that the prices and all that stuff," Davis adds. "I just don’t see how it can work in an area where you are not getting much bank for your buck. So, you are going to be paying out more and earning less. I don’t see how it's going to work out in certain areas of the business.”

One of the main reasons farmers are hesitant to adopt H-2A is that they cannot afford the high wage rates. In Texas, that is more than $15 per hour.

“I believe it is $15.79 an hour," said Sarah Black, Great Lakes Ag Labor Services, LLC general manager. "Plus, if you are in the H-2A program, you have to provide free housing, free daily transportation, and you have to provide free transportation weekly to the store, to the bank, etc. You have to pay all the costs to get the workers here and all the costs to send them home.”

Black says that while the program offers a reliable workforce, the costs can add up, potentially pushing hourly expenses to $25 or even $30 per worker. That is a challenge, as Texas has seen a spike from nearly zero H-2A workers a few years ago to over 13,000 today.

“The solution is we need Congress to pause the wage rate," Black said. "We can develop a replacement wage rate that is in line with the market.”

While many farmers remain hesitant, others like Mani Skaria in Hargill are embracing the change.

“Last week, I was in Florida, and the H-2A workers are very happy with the productivity, quality, and overall progress of the company and the employees," Skaria said. "It is a good thing to go through the formalities and make everything clean, transparent.”

Davis says he will continue looking into whether or not it is a good fit for his business.

“I’m myself going to research more but hopefully, who knows in the future, and we will see," Davis said.