Group pushes for permanent reform to AEWR rule

An advocacy group is pushing legislators to make permanent changes to the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR), the wage calculation used in the H-2A temporary agricultural worker program.

Members of the Ag Wage Reform Coalition gathered Feb. 24 to urge Congress and federal regulators to make recent changes in an interim AEWR rule final and establish a permanent wage structure that allows farms to plan labor costs with greater certainty.

The Ag Wage Reform Coalition said it now includes 36 agricultural organizations across nine states, representing more than 20,000 farmers who employ more than 380,000 H-2A workers nationwide at an annual wage cost exceeding $5 billion.

During the roundtable discussion, growers described rapidly increasing wage requirements, difficulty planning multi-year crop cycles under fluctuating formulas and rising financial risk for family farms and rural communities. Several speakers warned that continued instability could accelerate farm closures and increase reliance on imported food.

“This is not a partisan issue; it is a food security issue,” said Sam Watson, a farmer from Georgia.

Jason Rodgers, CEO of South Carolina’s Titan Farms, said growers are not seeking lower wages but more predictability.

“We are asking for stability. We are asking for certainty. And we are asking for policies that allow American farms to remain viable while continuing to provide lawful employment for hundreds of thousands of workers,” he said.

In addition to the press conference, coalition members met with more than 30 Senate and House offices, as well as officials from the U.S. Department of Labor and members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, to discuss permanent reform.

Without legislative action, speakers said domestic fruit and vegetable production could continue to decline, potentially leading to higher consumer food prices.

The coalition said it will continue working with lawmakers from both parties to advance legislation that would make the interim wage rule permanent and provide long-term planning certainty for specialty crop growers.