Feds admit need for farmworkers
In federal court this week the administration conceded the U.S. economy depends on immigrant farmworkers even as it defends policy moves to lower their pay—revealing a policy contradiction that could deepen precarity for agricultural labor. The admission raises new urgency for wage and safety protections in food-supply states like Vermont. (paloaltoonline.com)
The Department of Labor issued an Interim Final Rule on Oct. 2, 2025 that replaces the NASS Farm Labor Survey with BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data, establishes two skill/occupation AEWR levels, and allows employers to deduct the value of provided housing from H‑2A wages. (federalregister.gov)) A coalition lawsuit filed Nov. 21, 2025 by 18 individual farmworkers, the United Farm Workers and the UFW Foundation challenges that IFR in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, arguing it violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the Immigration and Nationality Act. (ufwfoundation.org)) The Economic Policy Institute estimated the DOL’s updated AEWR methodology could cut farmworker pay nationwide by roughly $4.4 billion to $5.4 billion annually and affect more than 350,000 H‑2A workers. (epi.org)) Industry analyses and reporting put the per‑hour reductions from the IFR between about $1.12 and $3.18 depending on the state, and estimated employer savings near $2.46 billion a year based on 2024 participation figures. (dtnpf.com)) An initial hearing in the UFW challenge was held this week in Fresno in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California as more than 100 farmworkers and supporters rallied outside the courthouse. (paloaltoonline.com)) Vermont‑specific filings and counts show roughly 70 agricultural businesses used H‑2A in 2024 with about 600 workers petitioned that season, Vermont farmers advertised 836 H‑2A jobs on 80+ farms in 2025, and state filings counted 939 H‑2A job orders in 2024; Vermont’s H‑2A basic wage was listed at $18.83 per hour in 2025. (legislature.vermont.gov))
