September 2019 - 10

ARE YOU AN INDEPENDENT
RETAILER?
SUBSCRIBE TO
LAWN & GARDEN RETAILER
FOR FREE!
L&GR provides information
for retailers on:
* Marketing
* Products
* Management
* Merchandising
* Trends
INDUSTRY NEWS
Service and evaluating the
progress of research to ensure it
is meeting its objectives.
" AFE and SAF have a long
history of working closely
together on myriad projects,
and over the past two years
AFE's Research Committee has
provided expert feedback on
FNRI research, making this new
partnership a logical next step, "
said Terril Nell, AFE's research
coordinator and a past SAF
president.
" As a nonprofit organization
that funds research and
GREAT LAKES
FRUIT, VEGETABLE & FARM MARKET
LABOR AND HOUSING
UPDATES AT 2019
GREAT LAKES EXPO
After the proposed H-2C visas failed to gain
support from the legislature, changes to H-2A
and H-2B visas were revisited. The changes
and new considerations growers need to
make will be the focus of several sessions
at the 2019 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable &
Farm Market EXPO and Michigan Greenhouse
Growers Expo.
In the Federal Labor Update session,
Michael Marsh, chief executive officer of the
National Council of Agricultural Employers,
will provide all of the information that growers
need to prepare for the upcoming season's
labor needs.
Additionally, Marty Miller, executive director
for the Office of Rural & Farmworker Housing,
will discuss when to provide housing solutions
for visa holders at the Rethinking Housing for
Agricultural Workers session. Together, these
updates will help provide a cohesive strategy
for gaining the labor needed throughout the
growing cycle.
Last season, growers received approximately
200,000 H-2A visaed workers, while over
242,000 jobs were certified. Marsh estimates
the number of visas available will increase
to around 230,000-240,000. As new
information rolls in from the White House,
Marsh speculated these visas will be for
other industries and not just agriculture and
PRINT AND DIGITAL OPTIONS AVAILABLE
LGRMAG.COM/GPN
Subscribe now at
LGRMAG.COM/DIGITAL
Preview the digital edition at
horticulture related jobs.
" This is prospective, and it appears that the
DOL will apply the changes at the beginning
of the next fiscal year, which is Oct 1, 2019, "
Marsh said. " We saw a couple rule-makings
this year, one with regard to advertising and
another with streamlining applications. Those
closed around Christmas of 2018, and we're
waiting on final rules on those. "
Many of the visa requirements of previous
years will continue; this includes covering
scholarships in floriculture and
environmental horticulture
that benefit all segments of the
floral industry, AFE is perfectly
positioned to help identify
the industry challenges and
priorities best suited for FNRI
research. "
MICHIGAN
GREENHOUSE
GROWERS EXPO
costs during the interview process, such as
hotel and per diem, and providing transit to
the work site. Additionally, growers will be
required to offer housing and either food
or cooking facilities. This is not required for
H2-B visa holders.
" In regards to nursery and greenhouse
workers, H-2A usage for the 2019 fiscal year
is already up from 2018, " Marsh said. " Just
through the second quarter of 2019 alone
(March 31), there are already over 1,150
more H2-A visaed workers in greenhouses
than there was in all of 2018. "
The Office of Rural & Farmworker
Housing, a nonprofit organization located in
Washington, acts as an affordable housing
developer, assisting with land acquisition,
building permitting, zoning approvals,
finances and preparing workers to live in the
new facilities.
For those utilizing visas that require housing
is covered by the employer, Miller's session
hopes to help growers answer a variety of
qualifying questions, such as whether housing
should be provided for visa holders, the length
of the season and what growers should be
asking when exploring the options.
" The session is about trying to walk
through feasibility assumptions, " Miller
said. " Growers think they are interested, but
what do they need to map out to see if it is
worth capital investment and be successfully
operated over a period of years? I plan to
dig into the assumptions growers may have
and provide insight to those are considering
building worker housing. "
As with all sessions at the EXPO, these
housing and visa sessions will provide
information that most growers need to ensure
success in the coming season. With a full
docket of educational sessions throughout
the duration of the EXPO, growers will come
away with fresh information and ideas to
make the coming season their best yet.
Registration for the Great Lakes EXPO
opens on Oct. 1, 2019. For more information
and to register, you can visit www.glexpo.com.
http://www.LGRMAG.COM/GPN http://www.glexpo.com http://www.LGRMAG.COM/DIGITAL
September 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2019
