The Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration on Monday announced updates for 2025 to the Adverse Effect Wage Rates for the employment of temporary or seasonal nonimmigrant foreign workers (H-2A workers) to perform agricultural labor or services other than the herding or production of livestock on the range.

The Agriculture Workforce Coalition, which represents a range of agricultural employers, said, “The rates now average nearly $20 per hour nationwide, and continue to rise at rates much faster than the national average. For some farmers, these wage rates will go into effect immediately; for others, they become effective in 14 days. America’s farmers, ranchers, and agricultural employers are committed to paying a fair wage for the men and women who choose to work for them. However, the DOL’s haphazard process to implement the new wage rates follows several federal court decisions that found the new H-2A regulations to be illegal and demonstrates how the department administers the program in an illogical and inequitable manner, ultimately harming the competitiveness of American farmers. The new administration needs to correct the DOL’s regulatory overreach, and Congress must adopt needed reforms to ensure the future viability of America’s family farms.”