Nov 19, 2019

Over 300 farm groups urge advancement Farm Workforce Modernization Act

A broad cross section of over 300 agricultural groups and rural businesses on Nov. 18 urged the House of Representatives to advance H.R. 5038, Farm Workforce Modernization Act, through the chamber. A copy of the letter can be found at http://ncfc.org/letter/support-farm-workforce-modernization-act-letter/.

H.R. 5038 would address the labor crisis being faced by farmers and ranchers across the country. Its provisions would provide an adjustment in status for those current experienced farmworkers without proper documentation and would modernize the H-2A guest worker visa program for agricultural workers.  The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold a mark up of the bill on Wednesday.

“This letter shows the broad, nationwide support the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, a bipartisan solution to address the shortage of workers across agriculture,” said Chuck Conner, president and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC). “While there are provisions that we would like to see changed in the legislative process, the bill is the best chance in over three decades of seeing immigration reform for agriculture advance through the House. We urge members of the Judiciary Committee to report the bill out of committee favorably and encourage House leadership to bring it to the floor for a vote as quickly as possible.”

Since 1929, NCFC has been the voice of America’s farmer cooperatives.  Our members are regional and national farmer cooperatives, which are in turn composed of nearly 2,500 local farmer cooperatives across the country. NCFC members also include 26 state and regional councils of cooperatives.  Farmer cooperatives allow individual farmers the ability to own and lead organizations that are essential for continued competitiveness in both the domestic and international markets.

America’s farmer-owned cooperatives provide a comprehensive array of services for their members. These diverse organizations handle, process and market virtually every type of agricultural commodity.  They also provide farmers with access to infrastructure necessary to manufacture, distribute and sell a variety of farm inputs.  Additionally, they provide credit and related financial services, including export financing.