State Agriculture Officials Celebrate Passage of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act

Mar 19, 2021

CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Dr. Barb Glenn praised today’s passage of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act by the U.S. House of Representatives saying, “Systems that establish a secure, reliable workforce for the agriculture, food and natural resource industries are necessary to our food supply. An estimated half of the U.S. agricultural workforce is foreign-born, and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act will provide opportunities for these individuals to contribute to the U.S. agricultural economy and earn legal status through continued agricultural employment.”

The bill would make year-round H-2A visas available for the first time, an action that would be transformational for agricultural operations like dairies that currently rely only on temporary labor.

“We’re encouraged that the Farm Workforce Modernization Act assures a future workforce for agriculture by creating both a flexible and efficient visa program that retains current workers,” Glenn said.

NASDA members also acknowledge that a multi-faceted effort is needed to fix the industry’s employment challenges across the spectrum of production, from harvesting to research.

In a letter NASDA sent to the U.S. House of Representatives, Glenn shared that in less than nine years, 5.35 million jobs will be available in the agriculture and food sectors.

“Understanding the demand for labor across the U.S. food system, NASDA will continue to advocate for support of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, the H-2A program and renewable visas for agricultural workers, along with other programs that address workforce challenges,” Glenn said.

“NASDA thanks Chairwoman Lofgren and Congressman Newhouse for reintroducing this legislation. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act provides a crucial step towards solving agriculture’s labor needs.”

For more information about NASDA’s efforts to advance the U.S. agricultural workforce, visit NASDA.org/WorkforceDevelopment.

Source : NASDA

Video: Alberta Honey: A Day at Molenkamp Honey Farms

When was the last time you read the label on your honey?

We spent a day at Molenkamp Honey Farms with Michael Molenkamp, who has been keeping bees for 17 seasons and runs three to four thousand hives. In mid-September, he was finishing treatments and getting his bees ready for winter, and he walked us through how Alberta honey gets made.

Alberta has just 150 commercial beekeepers running 300,000 colonies, and together they produce 40% of Canada’s honey. Long summer days and golden canola fields give Alberta honey a light flavour that’s hard to match anywhere else.

Molenkamp calls Alberta beekeepers some of the most resilient farmers he knows. There’s plenty of Alberta honey to go around, but a lot on our shelves isn’t from here, so his ask is simple. Give the label a second look and choose honey made by Alberta beekeepers, or buy straight from a beekeeper near you.