Oct 2, 2025

“Eye of the Storm” panel investigating labor rule added to NCAE labor forum

Questions about the future of the ag industry, its ability to compete in the modern market and worker wages will be explored at the 2025 Ag Employer Labor Forum.

Hosted by the National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE), the forum is scheduled for Dec. 3-5 at the M Resort just near Las Vegas, Nevada.

The special session “Eye of the Storm: Investigating the IFR (Interim Final Rule) for American Ag” will feature economists, thought leaders and legal experts who will unpack what the Department of Labor’s recently announced IFR means for the agricultural community. The IFR is expected to be published before the forum begins.

“Our members and the agricultural community at-large are excited by the potential for much overdue relief from out-of-control Adverse Effect Wage Rates,” Michael Marsh, NCAE’s president and CEO, said in a news release. “America’s farm and ranch families must have relief. This is a pivotal moment for the agricultural community – one that could make or break the future for many of America’s farm and ranch families for generations to come. NCAE has been fighting nonstop against mandated wage rates disconnected from the market and expects the new regulation to be issued prior to the start of the 2025 Forum.”

Along with the IFR panel discussion, NCAE has developed new programming tailored for farmers and ranchers, office and personnel managers, service providers, agricultural agents, attorneys and other stakeholders interested in agricultural labor.

This year’s speakers will cover a wide range of topics in general and breakout sessions, including the economic outlook for U.S. farm labor in 2026, pressing legal topics in ag labor, litigation strategy for agricultural employers, key considerations for farm labor contractors, a compliance workshop, an H-2A tax clinic and best practices for ag labor in the domestic enforcement era.

Forum participants are eligible to receive continuing education credit from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).