U.S. Senate Passes Sweeping Immigration Bill that includes New Visa Category for Farmworkers

Jun 28, 2013

U.S. Senate Passes Sweeping Immigration Bill that includes New Visa Category for Farmworkers

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

United States Senate passed historical immigration legislation Thursday, with bipartisan support of 68-32. Fourteen Republicans supported the bill.

The bill would create a new visa category for farmworkers, giving agricultural workers unique opportunities if they plan to work in agriculture. The bill would also give leeway for the Secretary of Agriculture to be flexible with the flow of immigrant workers, allowing workers to come into the country on a “need” basis.

The current immigration legislation, only allows seasonal workers for agriculture, rather than full-time employees, which farmers say doesn’t provide enough skilled workers. The new bill would address current, undocumented workers to maintain their jobs – which was one of the concerns raised by dairy farmers, who face challenges finding enough workers to manage milking herds.

"Today's strong bipartisan vote in the U.S. Senate to fix America's broken immigration system is good news for farmers and ranchers, good news for farm workers, and good news for rural America,” said Tom Vilsack, Agriculture Secretary.

The bill’s future is uncertain as it will proceed to the Republican-controlled House, which a number of conservatives have come out to strongly oppose. The House version of the bill does not include the same provisions as the Senate.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.