The difficult truth is that not all farm employees in the United States have legal approval. Efficient and easily navigated guest worker programs support border security and enhance food systems.
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Ice attacks, detention, deportation. Immigration headlines are flooding the screen. There could be enforcement happening in your town, or it could be hundreds of miles away. But the impact on your family is felt every time you go to the grocery store.
Fresh apples, crisp vegetables, milk, meat. All items you expect to be able to take home are at risk due to the growing labor crisis. Crisis farmers are forced to deal with it by hiring workers from outside the United States.
Every August, I stand in the orchard of a family farm in Henderson County, North Carolina, looking at over 6 million pounds of apples on a tree. I am consumed with concern and expectations. Without enough workers to harvest on time, those apples and months of hard work can be ruined correctly in these orchards.
I am a third generation farmer. Labor costs are shaking the farms that America depends on.
I am a third generation farmer. Along with apples, my family grows corn, hay and beef. I rely on both year-round and seasonal employees to keep food moving from our farms to schools, restaurants and grocery stores.
It is almost impossible to find enough people to fill positions on a farm in the US. I’m trying to hire domestic employees from the community, but the reality is that farm work is physically demanding and requires a long time. Americans clearly don’t want farm work or are looking for jobs that last longer than the season. When they apply in rare cases, few people decide it is suitable for them, and most quickly resign.
I resorted to the Federal H-2A program to fill the farm’s empty spaces. This seasonal agricultural workforce program allows me to legally hire employees from other countries to take my crops to your home. Many workers feel that life on the farm is rewarding and will be returned year by year.
Unfortunately, the system is expensive, bureaucratic and often lagging behind. The cost per employee will be around $29 per hour to cover fees, transportation, housing and federal mandatory wages. These increases in costs are far greater than what wholesale buyers pay us to apples.
In many cases, labor costs are a breaking point for farm families, forcing them to sell their land or abandon farming altogether. All the farms lost are more than just closed business. It was food production gone, the land was forever changed and the community was weakened.
The interests will not be high. Fruits and vegetables are ripe in a natural timeline, not ours. In Apple’s production, there are short windows to harvest before quality deteriorates. Without sufficient workers, crops will rot in the fields. This means checkouts for all American families will result in fewer healthy options in the store and higher prices.
In recent years, the H-2A program has expanded significantly. According to the Department of Agriculture, the number of certified positions increased eight times between 2005 (over 48,000) and 2024 (384,900), indicating how desperate farmers of employees are.
All farmers using the H-2A program must advertise their jobs locally and are only approved for temporary foreign workers if Americans do not qualify for jobs.
Americans need food security along with border security
The difficult truth is that not all farm employees in America have legal approval. It is estimated that more than 40% of farm workers lack appropriate documentation.
So let’s fix it. Efficient and easily navigated guest worker programs support border security and enhance food systems. For workers who are not already documented here, allowing them to undergo the same review process as H‑2A visa applicants and granting a work visa will provide accountability, stability and security.
Supports safe boundaries. We also know that food security is national security. America cannot gamble with food supplies. Reforms that reflect reality are needed. Annual visa program access for farms such as dairy, poultry, livestock, and other farms that require 365 days of work per year. A fair wage ceremony that reflects the economic situation and adequately compensates employees while keeping the farm viable. A streamlined process that reduces delays and bureaucracy for both workers and farmers.
This is not just farmers. It’s about every family that expects affordable healthy food. If we don’t act, America will rely more on imports, exposing us to confusion and rising prices.
This issue is often too complicated to fix. I disagree. You can have both a safe border and a legal and reliable workforce. It requires a simple approach, removes unrealistic hurdles and stands with farmers who have placed food on all American tables and families who rely on a stable food supply.
Linda Pryor is a third generation farmer from Henderson County, North Carolina. She grows apples, corn, hay and grows beef. She is a member of the North Carolina Farm Bureau.
