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Labor reforms may be left out of the next farm bill

The head of the National Council of Farmers Cooperatives says labor issues may not be addressed in the 2023 Farm Bill.

Chuck Connor says there is plenty of disagreement among lawmakers how to address the 12 titles already included in the legislation. “I don’t know that it has the pulling power, if you will to take our immigration issues as well as part of that because it’s already behind schedule.”

He tells Brownfield the research title may provide some solutions. “The technology to perhaps in the longer term reduce some of our labor demands that we have through the development of technologies research, extension and  land grant universities.”

And, Connor says, producers need to have a seat at the table. “What we need right now is help in terms of convincing Congress that, you know, they need to solve this problem.”

He says there has been some movement with immigration reform bills that address the seasonal guest worker program, also known as the H2A Visa program, but those have failed to get across the finish line.

Connor spoke with reporters at the 2023 Kansas Ag Growth Summit in Manhattan, Kansas.