Farm Labor Must be Exempt from South Africa Travel Ban

The American Farm Bureau Federation is asking the Biden administration to exempt farm labor from its recent proclamation suspending travel from several countries due to COVID-19 concerns. The ban includes guest workers from South Africa.

 

In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Acting Homeland Security Secretary David Pekoske, AFBF President Zippy Duvall wrote, “The most recent available data indicates that approximately 5,000 of these valued essential workers originate from South Africa. Many of these South African H-2A workers have a unique skillset, and American farmers are counting on their timely arrival as they make plans for their upcoming growing seasons.”

 

The letter asks agriculture workers to be exempted from the proclamation under Section 2(B)(xii), which allows the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to allow non-citizens from restricted countries to travel to the United States if it is in the national interest. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency designated food and agriculture workers as essential during the pandemic.

 

“While protecting our nation from new strains of COVID-19 is critically important, it is in our national interest to ensure production of food, fuel, and fiber,” the letter states.  

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.