By Cameron Castillo
Key Takeaways:
- H-2A position certifications have grown by over 25% since fiscal year 2021, rising from 317,619 to 398,258 in fiscal year 2025.
- Fiscal year 2026 is on pace to set a new program record, with more than a quarter of a million positions already certified in the first half of FY 2026 — outpacing the first half of fiscal year 2025 by 17% and the first half of fiscal year 2024 by more than 19%.
- Demand is accelerating broadly, with 43 of 50 states posting certification gains relative to the first half of fiscal year 2025.
- Florida, Georgia, and Washington lead the country in certifications, combining for more than a quarter of all positions certified in the first half of fiscal year 2026.
As farmers across the country struggle with a domestic labor shortage, use of the H-2A temporary agricultural worker program continues to grow. With over a quarter million positions certified through the first half of fiscal year 2026 (October 2025–March 2026), the program is already tracking well ahead of every prior first half on record and on pace to surpass 2025's full-year total.
Huge Q2 for H-2A Certifications Results in Record First Half
Annual H-2A certifications have climbed in every fiscal year since 2012, with the first half of fiscal year 2026 already outpacing the entire first half of every prior year.
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