Source: SOUTHERN FARM NETWORK, 5/28/20


The number of H-2A workers increased fivefold between 2005 and 2019, according to a report from USDA. Calling the data an indicator of the scarcity of farm labor, USDA’s Economic Research Service says the number of H-2A positions requested and approved increased from just over 48,000 in 2005 to nearly 258,000 in 2019. The ERS says the average duration of an H-2A certification in 2019 was 5.3 months, implying that the 258,000 positions certified represented about 114,000 full-year workers.

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