Shortcomings in the H-2A guest worker program mean that agricultural businesses, including apple growers, are struggling to find enough laborers to harvest their yield each year. Picking fruit is done by hand—a physically demanding job that requires skill, experience and intense labor. The cost and limited availability of this labor is a critical issue impacting our supply chain, the cost of our food, the value of our exports, the viability of family businesses, and the amount of food going to waste. Congress must act so that we can sustain a domestic apple industry in the years to come. Without a labor reform solution, no one wins.
How to Help
Call your Senator through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and encourage them to support meaningful agricultural labor reforms – building on the Farm Workforce Modernization Act passed by the House.
Learn more about how agricultural labor shortages can impact the economic well-being of rural communities and lead to food waste and fewer produce choices for consumers.
29 billion+
apples harvested in the U.S. last year
320 million
average apples hand-picked each day during harvest
$21 billion
the apple industry’s contribution to the U.S. economy each year
Avg. 3-4
year-round jobs sustained by harvest workers in rural communities
Advocate for Ag Labor Reform
Talk to your Senator about why agricultural labor reform is critical to the future of the apple industry.