H-2A Visas

A farmworker runs through a field of planted crops with a box above his shoulder.

Visas increase as farmers and ranchers look to hire more guest agricultural workers

Will Bauer

Last year, more than 378,000 workers were authorized for H-2A visas, or temporary agriculture positions, according to figures from the U.S. Department of Labor. Horseradish farmers in the Metro East are among those who say they’re now using the program.

A crew of migrant farmworkers with cantaloupes they picked on July 4, near Kennett, Missouri.

Missouri's H-2A Housing Inspections Missed Deficiencies For Years

Sky Chadde

Missouri’s process of inspecting migrant farmworkers’ housing is riddled with holes and easily abused, according to interviews and documents obtained by...

Workers at the Talbott farm harvest some of the last grapes of the season in early October.

Government Says Shutdown Unlikely To Delay Guestworker Visas, But Farmers Still Unsure

Esther Honig

More than 240,000 guestworkers, many from Mexico, work on U.S. farms for several months each year as a part of the federal H-2A visa program. This year,...

The number of H-2A visa workers have increased, but they still make up 9 percent of the U.S. agriculture workforce.

Farmers Are Seeking More Temporary H-2A Workers, And Keeping Them Longer

Esther Honig

The high-desert town of Palisade, Colorado, is synonymous with fresh, locally grown peaches. Years ago, thousands of migrant workers would flock here...