Category: News

NCAE Responds to President Trump’s Remarks in State of the Union Address

| Articles, News, Press Release, Uncategorized

NCAE Responds to President Trump’s Remarks in State of the Union Address

Arlington, VA – Tuesday, February 24, 2026 – President Donald J. Trump concluded his first State of the Union of his second term late tonight. During his address, President Trump highlighted the steps taken by the administration to enhance economic prosperity and further secure the Nation.

“We now have the strongest and most secure border in American history by far. In the past 9 months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States. But we will always allow people to come in legally. People that will love our country and will work hard to maintain our country,” said President Trump, early in his remarks.

“President Trump’s State of the Union once again demonstrated his personal commitment to overcoming our challenge of accessing a legal, reliable workforce to continue producing food right here in America,” stated John Hollay, President and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers. 

“By securing the border,” Hollay added, “the President has taken the steps necessary to ensure Congress can now move expeditiously to give us the workforce we need to ensure our nation’s food security and keep our farming operations in business. NCAE stands ready to work with President Trump and Congress to bring in the legal farm workers we need who love this country and want to help us maintain it, as the President said.”

About the National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE)

NCAE is the only national association focusing exclusively on agricultural labor issues from the employer’s perspective. NCAE is the voice of agricultural employers on employment, safety, and labor law issues and is dedicated to providing American farmers and ranchers with the best available information, tools, and advocacy for managing their workforce.

Download Article

NCAE Annual Meeting Tackles Urgent Ag Workforce Regulations; Highlights Collaboration with Federal Agencies

| Articles, News, Press Release, Uncategorized

 

NCAE Annual Meeting Tackles Urgent Ag Workforce Regulations; Highlights Collaboration with Federal Agencies

Arlington, VA — [February 11, 2026] —

 Amidst a rapidly shifting regulatory environment for American agriculture, the National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE) is convening its 2026 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The three-day event has drawn farmers, ranchers, growers, agents and industry leaders from across the country to address the pressing regulatory complexities with which agricultural employers must contend.  

The conference opened Wednesday with a keynote address from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden. Secretary Vaden outlined the Trump Administration’s strategic initiatives designed to provide immediate relief to the agricultural sector including Farmer Bridge Assistance Program payments, the importance of specialty crop producers sharing data with USDA, and the need for organizations like NCAE to support the actions taken by the Trump Administration to support the agricultural community, such as the Department of Labor’s Interim Final Rule related to the Adverse Effect Wage Rate. 

“It is vital that organizations like [NCAE] be present in every stage of litigation, whether it be in the trial court, in appellate proceedings to come, and however far it goes…Thank you for putting the resources behind it–it’s really going make a difference that you were there to join with the Department of Labor and the Department of Justice, hand-in-glove with the Department of Agriculture to back up how important this rule is, and to talk about what the prior version of the rule meant to your operations, and how much a difference this new version of the rule will make, how it takes into account the economic reality of the expenses that federal law requires you to pay the legal workers you hire.” 

Wednesday was also punctuated by remarks from U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-4) and Rep. Jim Costa (CA-21) which highlighted the vital intersection of federal policy and on-the-ground agricultural realities. After hearing from ag industry experts about what potential agricultural workforce reforms might look like, attendees adjourned on Wednesday to march on Capitol Hill to advocate for long-overdue ag workforce reforms. 

Tuesday’s technical sessions provided agricultural executives with critical analysis of the current regulatory framework with which employers must content. The sessions began with “DOL IFR: Where Are We Now?”,  led by legal experts Kristi Boswell of Alston & Bird and Chris Schulte of Fisher Phillips. The session comes on the heels of NCAE’s filing of an amicus curiae brief in support of the Department in United Farm Workers, et al. v. U.S. Department of Labor, a case challenging the Department’s Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR).

The legal analysis was immediately followed by a deep dive into the “Economic Case for IFR,” featuring insights from expert economists, Samantha Ayoub and Dr. Philip Martin with the American Farm Bureau Federation and the University of California, Davis respectively. These sessions underscored the industry’s need for data-driven dialogue and clear regulatory guidance to ensure the sustainability of U.S. farming operations.

“Agricultural employers are facing one of the most complex labor landscapes in recent history, and clarity is essential for our survival,” said John Hollay, President & CEO of NCAE. “We are here in Washington not just to understand these new rules, but to engage directly with the agencies and lawmakers shaping them. Our goal is to foster a collaborative environment where policies support both the workforce and the farmers and growers who feed the nation.”

On Tuesday, attendees also participated in targeted discussions on the current political landscape for the agricultural community, transportation challenges within the H-2A program, and received practical training on effective advocacy from legislative insiders. The day concluded with cross-sector perspectives from agricultural leaders from the dairy, mushroom, and vertical farm and greenhouse industries, providing a holistic approach to the agricultural community’s shared challenges. The day’s programming was further distinguished by remarks from U.S. Representative David Rouzer (NC-7), U.S. Representative Bill Huizenga (MI-4), and U.S. Representative Don Davis (NC-1),  reinforcing the vital dialogue between agricultural employers and Capitol Hill.

About NCAE

Founded in 1964, NCAE is the only national association focusing exclusively on agricultural labor issues from the agricultural employer’s viewpoint. 

-30-

 

Download Article

NCAE Files Amicus Brief Supporting DOL’s AEWR Interim Final Rule

| Articles, News, Press Release, Uncategorized

 

NCAE Files Amicus Brief Supporting DOL’s AEWR Interim Final Rule

Arlington, VA — [February 6, 2026] — The National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE) today announced that it has filed an amicus curiae brief in support of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) in United Farm Workers, et al. v. U.S. Department of Labor, a case challenging the Department’s Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) Interim Final Rule (IFR) governing the H‑2A agricultural worker program. The NCAE brief was joined by the California Farm Bureau. 

“For years, agricultural employers were forced to operate under a wage‑setting system that falsely inflated wages due to a broken and outdated methodology,” said John Hollay, President and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers. “The Department of Labor’s interim final rule corrects that failure by restoring a realistic, data‑driven wage system that reflects actual labor‑market conditions while continuing to protect U.S. workers, as the law requires and our members want the court to know why we can’t go back to a system that was bankrupting the American farmer.”

The AEWR IFR, issued in October 2025, modernizes how wages are calculated for H‑2A non‑range agricultural occupations by replacing the discontinued and unreliable USDA Farm Labor Survey with wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The rule also establishes skill‑based wage tiers and accounts for employer‑provided housing, creating a more accurate and transparent framework.

In its brief, NCAE highlighted the how and why the Farm Labor Survey needed to be replaced and the harm that would be brought to farmers, consumers and the economy in general. According to the Department of Labor’s own analysis, correcting the inflated wage calculations produced under the prior system is expected to save agricultural employers approximately $2.46 billion per year — more than $17 billion over ten years — while maintaining the statutory requirement that U.S. workers not be adversely affected.

About NCAE

Founded in 1964, NCAE is the only national association focusing exclusively on agricultural labor issues from the agricultural employer’s viewpoint. 

-30-

 

Download Article

DOL’s Modernizing Recruitment for H-2A Workers

| Regulatory

Modernizing Recruitment Requirements for the Temporary Employment of H-2A Foreign Workers in the United States – November 9, 2019

The Department of Labor has (finally) acknowledged what agricultural employers have been telling them for years – potential U.S. workers are not coming forward in response to print newspaper advertising for available agricultural jobs, and that advertising is costly to employers.

In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) published today, the Department has opened a 30-day comment period on a proposal to replace expensive newspaper advertising (online or print) entirely with a website-based advertising system – with employers given discretion to choose “at least one website that is widely used and appropriate for use by U.S. workers who are likely to apply for the job opportunity in the area of intended employment.”

Employers seeking to hire H-2A workers will post their jobs to their state workforce agency and then to the Chicago National Processing Center, and then post the job order to the website of their choosing – retaining proof of posting. The job must remain posted on the website for at least 14 consecutive days. No further advertising by employers will be required.

Although the NOPR references the additional duty to contact, in writing, prior-year U.S. workers who completed the season, the NOPR does not replace that requirement with the online job posting. Employers may wish to comment on that issue during the upcoming 30-day comment period, ending December 10, 2018.

For jobs with start dates between now and October 1, 2019, employers will have the choice of online posting or the traditional two newspaper advertisement option.

“This is great news and a good start to a needed reform process for the H-2A visa. NCAE’s advocacy early in the Trump Administration has begun to bear fruit,” noted Michael Marsh, NCAE’s President and CEO. “In fact, timing of the notice dovetails nicely with our planned deep dive into H-2A reform scheduled for our Labor Forum later this month.”

“We are pleased with the Administration’s effort in this regard and look forward to the unveiling of additional reforms,” said Marsh.

Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Revision of a Currently Approved Collection; Request for Comments; H-2A Temporary Agricultural Labor Certification Program Form – October 25, 2018

Trump Administration’s NPRM Announcement

| Regulatory

NCAE applauds the Trump Administration’s announcement on July 15th of its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to modernize and improve the H-2A temporary agricultural labor certification program.

According to the Department of Labor’s announcement, “These proposed changes would modernize the Department’s H-2A regulations in a way that is responsive to stakeholder concerns and enhances employer access to a legal source of agricultural labor, while maintaining the program’s protections for the U.S. workforce and enhancing enforcement against fraud and abuse.”

“We are very pleased the Administration has agreed to roll out this much needed modernization effort for the H-2A program. It is obvious, based upon the 489 pages included, the deep dive that was done by the agencies in their effort to evolve the program to one more responsive to the needs of stakeholders,” said Michael Marsh, President and CEO of NCAE.

According to the Department, the wide-ranging rulemaking will streamline the application process and strengthen protections for U.S. and foreign workers. The rule also looks to update methodologies used to determine Adverse Effect Wage Rates while addressing many other issues.

Marsh noted, “The breadth of this proposed rule is substantial. NCAE will be working with its committees, members and legal counsel to develop targeted, cogent comments to provide to the Department. This type of hefty rulemaking doesn’t come around often. Our sleeves are rolled up and we’re raring to go!”.