By John Walt Boatright
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Despite barriers to using the H-2A temporary agricultural visa program, farmers are increasingly turning to the program to meet their labor needs. In fiscal year 2026, H-2A use is already up 17% in volume, as fewer than 0.07% of those jobs received a domestic applicant.
- Rep. G.T. Thompson’s Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act (SAWA) makes important strides in controlling unpredictable labor-related costs, modernizing an antiquated visa program, and enhancing access for agricultural sectors that previously could not participate in the program, like dairy.
Agriculture’s Labor Challenges
2026 is a year of important milestones for our country. Nearly all Americans will leave Fourth of July weekend with fresh memories of the America 250 celebrations. Many fewer will recognize that it has been 40 years since lawmakers last reformed our agricultural labor and immigration programs via the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.
Why does that matter? For one, it was the last time Congress passed farm labor reforms into law, despite multiple attempts. It is also a reminder that farmers have been struggling with labor shortages for decades with little relief from policymakers.
Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act
Enter Glenn “G.T.” Thompson, a nine-term Pennsylvania congressman and current chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. In 2023, he appointed a bipartisan group of lawmakers to deliberate and deliver solutions for the primary guestworker program for U.S. agriculture – the H-2A program. This group met with a broad cross-section of stakeholders, including farmers and ranchers who struggle to secure a reliable workforce regardless of commodity or region. The product of that work serves as the foundation for his newly introduced Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act (SAWA).
The proposal centers on three key H-2A reform: controlling costs, improving access, and modernizing and streamlining the program.
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