Gary Black, Georgia’s Commissioner of Agriculture and a member of Donald Trump's agriculture policy advisory council, expressed his concern about farm labor issues and their effect on Georgia’s
farmers during a listening session that included representatives from the offices of Senators David Perdue and Johnny Isakson.
In a news release after the meeting, he is quoted as saying, “We are talking today about what
we need to do now to ensure our farmers have the labor they need in the
spring,” said Commissioner Black.
The release goes on to say:
During the meeting Georgia farmers Drew Echols, Russ
Goodman and Chris McCorkle relayed the many challenges they faced this year
while attempting to use the federal H-2A program. The H-2A program is a
critically important tool for America’s farmers and ranchers who need timely,
legal and dependable workers to harvest valuable crops which are seasonal in
nature.
“There is no debate on the fact that the H-2A program is
our best option for harvesting our crops. We just hope to work with the
Department of Labor to find ways to strengthen that program in the future,”
said blueberry farmer Russ Goodman. “It is very important that they understand
that we have a time-sensitive commodity and any amount of delay can have a huge
impact on our bottom line.”
The listening session highlighted the need for enhanced
coordination to eliminate processing delays within the H-2A program. During the
2016 spring harvest, Georgia farmers faced millions of dollars in crop losses
as the Department of Labor struggled to process an increased number of
applications for foreign migrant labor.
“We are not here to point fingers, but instead to have a
proactive and constructive conversation on how to avoid the missteps from last
year and safeguard against it ever happening again,” Black said.
The news release does not mention Donald Trump or his
views on immigration policy.
