January 31, 2022

For Immediate Release

Contact:           Michael Marsh, President and CEO

(202) 629-9320

NCAE Partners with AgConex to Source CDC/WHO Approved Vaccines in Mexico

(Washington, D.C.) The National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE) has partnered with AgConex to source CDC/WHO approved vaccines in Mexico for H-2A Temporary Workers.  Mexico is the largest provider of H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers to U.S. farms and ranches.

“Last season, NCAE members worked diligently to get farmworkers vaccinated when vaccines became available here in the U.S.,” noted Michael Marsh, President and CEO of NCAE.  “However, there are several challenges for American farmers and ranchers with the Biden Administration’s recent requirement that, effective January 22, 2022, all essential workers seeking to transit to temporary seasonal agricultural jobs in the U.S. must first provide proof of being fully vaccinated with a CDC/WHO approved vaccine against COVID-19.”

According to Marsh, “Last season, thousands of workers returned home at the conclusion of their contracts prior to vaccines being made widely available to the public here in the U.S.  Even though many temporary workers received the vaccine in clinics set up around the country, not all did.  And although the U.S. donated millions of doses of vaccine to Mexico, it appears much of the vaccine made available to potential workers in rural areas of Mexico are not CDC/WHO approved vaccines.”

Last fiscal year, more than 258,000 temporary foreign workers received H-2A visas to fill the more than 317,000 farm and ranch jobs for which no qualified, willing, and available domestic workers could be recruited.  This was an increase of approximately 21% in the number of temporary foreign workers employed in the prior fiscal year.  Early data from the U.S. Department of Labor indicates the FY 2021 record demand for temporary seasonal H-2A workers will be eclipsed this year.

“The unintended consequence of the Administration’s regulation is that supply chain infirmities created by the pandemic are likely to be exacerbated by this requirement.  We have had several reports already of potential workers being stymied in their attempts to acquire CDC/WHO approved vaccinations,” said Marsh.  “This is the reason we have searched for an in-country option to mitigate the reality that too few approved vaccines have been provided to H-2A eligible workers in Mexico.”

According to Grant Thompson, President of AgConex, “The employer typically provides us a list that includes contact information for the workers.  Our customer service people in Mexico contact the employees directly (by phone or email) to help them schedule a vaccination.  We’re excited to have this opportunity to partner with NCAE and help solve this challenge for America’s farm and ranch families.”

AgConex is a Company Headquartered in Boise, ID, that has created a call center specifically to assist growers with testing and vaccination services in Mexico.

NCAE is the national trade association focusing on agricultural labor issues from the employer’s viewpoint.

-30-

Download Article

October 27, 2021

For Immediate Release

Contact:           Michael Marsh, President and CEO

(202) 629-9320

Bold Agenda Set for NCAE Ag Labor Forum

(Washington, D.C.) The National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE) announced today its blockbuster agenda for the Annual Ag Labor Forum which will be held December 1 – 3, 2021, at the beautiful M Resort just outside Las Vegas.  NCAE’s annual event brings together key thought leaders in agricultural employment and labor from across the United States.  It is the event you do not want to miss if you have any connection to how America’s food is produced.

“This year’s agenda is terrific, and our speakers are leaders in their respective fields,” noted Michael Marsh, President and CEO.  “This 2021 Forum will provide attendees, among other things, a peek behind the curtain as to what the Biden Administration and the 117^th Congress have in store for agricultural employers.  We will also unpack new and proposed regulations so the audience can get a head start on compliance.”

COVID-19 has impacted every sector of the US economy and farmers and ranchers have not been exempt.  One of the sessions will uncover what that economic impact meant to agriculture in 2021 and seek to shed some light on what to expect in 2022.

Recent ransomware attacks on agricultural enterprises will be discussed.  Forum participants will have an opportunity to learn what they can do to harden their operations so as not to be a target of malicious actors.

Users, and potential users, of the H-2A program will get to hear from experts on two innovative program tracks (H-2A 101 for participants new to the program and H-2A Advanced Topics for more seasoned users).  Any new pronouncements on Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWR) will be dissected as AEWR impacts on all US agricultural wages are profound.

Government officials will be on hand to discuss compliance with requirements of the Department of Labor’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification and the Wage and Hour Division.  The State Department will discuss the latest from foreign consulates and importantly, from Mission Mexico and Mission Guatemala.  Commissioner Sonderling from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will update the Forum on what he sees in agriculture and how employers can enhance their compliance.

The Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America (ASHCA) will do a deep dive on safety issues on the farm and what to expect from OSHA and Cal-OSHA.  And, as usual with NCAE programs, much of the content will be eligible for continuing education credit from the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM).

“Limited sponsorship opportunities remain for this event that reaches hundreds of attendees,” said Marsh.  “Of course, NCAE Members receive a significant discount off registration fees and the event provides nonmembers a “look under the hood” of the battles NCAE successfully wages in the Congress and with federal agencies.  This is a must-attend event!”

Registration, the program agenda, and NCAE’s discounted room block, can be accessed by going to www.ncaeonline.org

NCAE is the national trade association focusing on agricultural labor issues from the employer’s viewpoint.

-30-

Download Article

September 1, 2021

For Immediate Release

Contact: Michael Marsh, President and CEO
(202) 629-9320

NCAE Files Inquiry with USDA

(Washington, D.C.) The National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE) filed an inquiry yesterday with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).   The Council has asked for response to questions and concerns regarding the USDA’s Annual Farm Labor Survey (FLS).

The FLS is used by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to establish the mandatory minimum wages agricultural employers must pay to workers employed under the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Visa program as well as any domestic workers employed in corresponding employment.  These mandatory minimum wages, referred to as the Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWRs) in the DOL regulations, are intended to prevent an adverse effect on domestic workers due to the employment of temporary foreign H-2A workers.

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.  The average AEWR required to be paid in the U.S. in 2021 under the H-2A program has been $14.62.

“Our members have become increasingly alarmed by the ever deepening disconnect from the market for agricultural labor and the results of the FLS used by the Department of Labor (DOL) to establish the AEWRs,” noted Michael Marsh NCAE President and CEO in the letter to Secretary Vilsack.  “Alarm over this disconnect has also been expressed by cooperative extension specialists, agricultural lenders, agricultural economists, and others with expertise in analysis of labor markets.”

The Council’s letter notes that the impact of this disconnect between the FLS results and U. S. labor markets is hindering U. S. agricultural production and creating new opportunities for foreign competitors to expand their displacement of U. S. produced agricultural products in the market.  Today over one-half of the fresh fruit and more than one-third of the fresh vegetables consumed in America are produced in another country.  This circumstance is making U. S. agriculture less sustainable in global markets and forcing U.S. families to be ever more reliant upon foreign producers for their food. The Council’s inquiry also points out that the forfeit of America’s food production capability to foreign competitors jeopardizes U. S. national security.

Marsh stated that, “NCAE has repeatedly petitioned the DOL to make the determination required by statute as to whether an adverse effect is visited upon domestic workers due to the employment of Temporary H-2A Agricultural Workers necessitating the imposition of AEWRs. The DOL has failed to entertain the petitioned for determination to the peril of U. S. agriculture.  Our inquiry seeks to find the reasons for this staggering disconnect so we can find a solution that allows American farmers and ranchers to again feed our nation.”

NCAE is the national trade association focusing on agricultural labor issues from the employer’s viewpoint.

-30-

June 21, 2021

For Immediate Release

Contact: Michael Marsh, President and CEO
(202) 629-9320

NCAE Announces Opportunity to Vaccinate H-2A Temporary Ag Workers

(Washington, D.C.) The National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE) announced today that the Council’s ongoing collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has resulted in another opportunity to protect farmworkers from COVID-19.

“Earlier this year, NCAE members participated with the CDC in a pilot project to test H-2A workers for COVID and quarantine infected workers in Mexico prior to transiting to their temporary jobs in the States,” noted Michael Marsh, President and CEO. “This pilot project was successful in identifying not only a very low incidence of infection (1.3% based on preliminary data), but also an opportunity to collaborate to protect farmworker health and protect U.S. public health.”

Capitalizing on this previous partnership, the CDC has notified NCAE that the County of San Diego is providing free COVID-19 vaccines to H-2A workers crossing into the U.S. from Tijuana, Mexico at vaccination sites near the U.S.-Mexico border. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine will be offered, but the Pfizer-BioNTech or another vaccine may be offered upon request by a worker and depending on its availability.
“The safety of essential farmworkers is of paramount importance to agricultural employers and NCAE is very excited by this new opportunity to assist farm and ranch families in protecting the workers who feed and clothe us from this deadly pandemic while protecting public health at the same time,” said Marsh.
Agricultural employers interested in participating in this vaccine pilot program should email NCAE’s Manager of Association Services Nigel Bocanegra at [email protected] for details on how to participate.

NCAE is the national trade association focusing on agricultural labor issues from the employer’s viewpoint.

-30-