How Would an "Ag Labor" Card Work? - The Farmer's Daughter USA

Besides the Farm Bill and the looming hike in the estate tax, one issue Congress has failed to act on is immigration reform.

We occasionally hear about farms that are unable to get crops harvested because they cannot get enough people out in the fields to do it.

American Farm Bureau Federation has proposed a solution to the problem. It doesn’t go as far as giving amnesty, but it also make sure that there is an agricultural workforce (we could call it a compromise). Essentially, workers are able to get an “ag card” if they have some type of agricultural experience and reside within the country. This would allow them to continue to work on the farms and also do it legally.

The proposal would work a little like this:

“The ag card provision would allow undocumented workers who have agricultural work experience and currently reside in the country to obtain work authorization to continue to work in agriculture.

The proposal would make the visas renewable every five years.  

The temporary worker portion of the proposal has provisions for contract workers and non-contract workers.  

The contract temporary worker visa would allow workers to work exclusively with one employer registered with the USDA for up to 12 months.

They would be required to return home for 30 days over the course of three years.

The non-contract worker temporary worker visa outlined in the proposal would grant seasonal work authorization good for up to 11 months after accepting an offer of work with a USDA registered employer.

The worker would be hired at-will and is able to move to another registered employer at any time.

He or she would be required to return home for 30 days in a 12-month period. during the course of the 11-month period.” (Source: Southeast Farm Press)

So, what do you think? Could this be a solution to the immigration problem?

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