July/August 2024 - 12

LABOR REPORT
Labor challenges
persist
Fruit and vegetable growers voice concerns in 2024 labor survey
BY DEBBIE EISELE AND DOUG OHLEMEIER
opinions were divided, with 49% choosing this route.
" The new H-2A legal process and wages have caused
I
n the ever-evolving landscape of agriculture, labor
remains a perennial concern for fruit and vegetable
growers. Results of the latest labor survey, conducted
among fruit and vegetable growers across the U.S., shed
light on the ongoing challenges faced by growers and the
strategies being considered to navigate them.
Comparison with previous years
In 2019, a majority (59%) of respondents reported
having enough labor, while 41% faced shortages,
according to the annual fruit and vegetable labor
survey, conducted by Fruit Growers News and its sister
publication, Vegetable Growers News.
Fast forward to 2023, and the balance has shifted, with
46% reporting inadequate labor. This trend continued into
2024, indicating a persistent struggle for growers to meet
specific labor needs.
H-2A usage and outsourcing trends
The H-2A program remains a vital resource for many
growers. In 2024, exactly half of respondents reported
utilizing H-2A labor. Interestingly, a significant portion
(83%) of those employing H-2A workers opted to outsource
the recruiting process. However, when it came to fully
outsourcing the H-2A process and labor management,
12 | JULY/AUGUST 2024
my company to completely outsource our labor force to
handle recruitment, " a grower wrote. " With increased
wages and labor contractor fees, I have been forced to
reduce the quantity of my workforce. A smaller workforce
means I have to manage harvest more efficiently and
spend more money to work overtime. Overall, the new
wages and legal process has significantly cut into my
bottom line and margins. "
Impact of legal process and
wage requirements
The introduction of new legal processes and wage
requirements has significantly influenced growers'
use of the H-2A program. Respondents expressed
various concerns, which can be categorized into several
common themes.
Cost and affordability: Nearly half of the respondents
(44%) cited concerns about the increasing costs associated
with the H-2A program, making it challenging to afford.
" The increasing costs of the program and wages
continues to put some growers at competitive disadvantage
to others, " a grower stated. " If you are able to raise prices
to offset increased costs, then you may be able to come
out ahead but if you are a price taker then you can't. "

July/August 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July/August 2024

Editor's Letter
Smart tech wipes out pests
FIRA preview
Labor challenges persist
VGN 2024 Labor Survey results
Vidalia onion robotics
Great Lakes EXPO 2024
Veg Connections
Farm Market & Agritourism
Ag Labor Review
Classifieds
Advertiser Index
July/August 2024 - 1
July/August 2024 - 2
July/August 2024 - 3
July/August 2024 - Editor's Letter
July/August 2024 - 5
July/August 2024 - Smart tech wipes out pests
July/August 2024 - 7
July/August 2024 - 8
July/August 2024 - 9
July/August 2024 - FIRA preview
July/August 2024 - 11
July/August 2024 - Labor challenges persist
July/August 2024 - 13
July/August 2024 - VGN 2024 Labor Survey results
July/August 2024 - 15
July/August 2024 - Vidalia onion robotics
July/August 2024 - 17
July/August 2024 - 18
July/August 2024 - 19
July/August 2024 - 20
July/August 2024 - 21
July/August 2024 - Great Lakes EXPO 2024
July/August 2024 - 23
July/August 2024 - Veg Connections
July/August 2024 - 25
July/August 2024 - Farm Market & Agritourism
July/August 2024 - 27
July/August 2024 - Ag Labor Review
July/August 2024 - 29
July/August 2024 - Classifieds
July/August 2024 - Advertiser Index
July/August 2024 - 32
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-october-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/vgn-digital-seed-guide-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyers-guide-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2023
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-august
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/vgn-digital-seed-guide-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2023
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyers-guide-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2022
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/seedguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/seedguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/october-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/october-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2019
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com