Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 11/22/19

Farm operators hired 809,000 workers in the second week of October, showing a three percent increase from 2018, according to USDA's latest semi-annual farm labor report.

Overall, wages have increased for farm laborers across the board. The 2019 all hired worker annual average gross wage rate is $14.91 per hour, up 5 percent from the 2018 annual report. In October, farm operators paid workers an average gross wage of $15.02 per hour, a 4 percent increase from the 2018 findings.

The news comes after the House Judiciary Committee advanced a bill this week that would expand the H-2A foreign guestworker program and provide a path to legalization for farm workers, Pro Ag's Liz Campton reports.

To read the report, click here.