Farm groups are voicing concerns over the rising labor costs tied to the H-2A guest worker program, particularly the prevailing wage requirement. American Farm Bureau Economist Samantha Ayoub says the wage system is overly complex and often drives up base pay. “You’re now setting it as the base wage for an entire region or statewide and driving up just the base wage to the point where employers are getting priced out.” Ayoub adds that these wage hikes frequently occur without warning, sometimes during peak harvest, further straining farm budgets and management. “We continue to see H-2A program use increase over time despite rising costs, but we could hit a critical breaking point where farmers potentially just switch out of producing these crops.”
