Members of Michigan Farm Bureau’s Labor Advisory Committee made their way to the nation’s capital Feb. 13 for the National Council of Agricultural Employers’ (NCAE) Annual Meeting and spoke with elected officials face to face to call for their help.
Traveling with a coalition of industry groups — including Michigan Farm Bureau, Great Lakes Ag Labor Services, the Michigan Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Association, and the Michigan Asparagus Association — the growers made their plea to lawmakers on Capitol Hill that something needs to be done to address staggering ag labor challenges.
Those challenges include a skyrocketing Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR), which increased to $18.50 per hour in Michigan on Jan. 1, 2024, along with massive filing and asylum fee increases to H-2A petitions starting in April, going from $460 to $1,090 per worker for large employers (26 or more) and increasing from $460 to $545 for smaller employers.
“I came to speak with legislators to let them know the reality and what we're dealing with on our farms and to try and let them know how dire the circumstances are in regard to ag labor and the AEWR rate,” said fruit grower Kari Molter, a Berrien County Farm Bureau member.
She said there are some glimmers of hope coming from D.C. — most notably in the form of a House Bill from Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) that would pause the AEWR at the level that was established in 2023 until the end of 2025.
The bill, which already received MFB’s support, was recently backed by the Michigan Apple Association and the Michigan Vegetable Council.
“The Department of Labor has been raising costs on farmers for years and these unprecedented increases are making it difficult for them to keep working,” Moolenaar wrote in a statement.
“Farmers and ag groups support my bill because it will help ensure they can pay a reliable work force and still afford to make ends meet.”
MFB members met with nine lawmakers or their staff members as part of the visit, including staff from the offices of Senate Ag Committee Chair Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Senate Ag Committee minority leader Sen. John Boozman.
“Our members are working hard to continue to keep this issue in front of our decisionmakers,” said MFB National Legislative Counsel John Kran.
“Key leaders from apples, asparagus, cherries, other vegetables shared their stories and did a fantastic job making their plea to Congress that waiting is not an option — it’s imperative we do something now.”
Antrim County Farm Bureau member Nathan McGuire said growers are looking for all the help they can get to address the labor crisis.
“The message that we left behind is that we don’t have time — this is an urgent matter,” McGuire said.
“A solution needs to happen now. We don’t have years, we have months — and it’s a matter of national security.”