Labor challenges in the specialty crop sector are continuing to draw attention, and Samantha Ayoub recently sat down with Oklahoma Farm Report’s Maci Carter to discuss the growing urgency of workforce stability for fruit and vegetable producers.
Ayoub emphasized just how essential a reliable labor force is to keeping fresh produce moving from farm to table.
“Fruits and vegetables are extremely perishable and they’re extremely fragile,” she said. “A lot of the production that is done on specialty crop farms in the United States is still reliant on manual labor.”
She added that labor needs stretch across the entire calendar year. “This is constant year-round between harvest, all the inputs that go into planting to trimming orchards… and so it’s vital that we have a stable workforce year-round for these folks.” The financial burden is significant as well.
“For specialty crop producers, up to 40% of their production expenses are spent on labor alone. So it’s a huge part of these folks’ businesses.”
When asked about solutions, Ayoub pointed to the need for modernization of the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Program.
“That has been 40 years since it’s seen any sort of reforms to that program, and I don’t think we can all agree not much is the same today as it was in 1986,” she said.
She stressed that updates should both expand access and improve efficiency. “There are reforms that are much needed to both expand access to that program… as well as making sure that it’s streamlined for folks to use and has a reliable, predictable wage structure.”
Ayoub also highlighted the broader economic pressures producers are facing.
“We’re really fortunate to see and thankful for the new interim final rule on H-2A wages that came out last October, and are hoping to see that made permanent,” she said.
At the same time, she noted the squeeze on producers. “They’re facing economic pressures across the board, with rising input costs in multiple categories and falling crop prices at the farm gate.”
She closed with a message aimed at both voters and policymakers, underscoring the depth of the workforce shortage. “We have seen only 118 U.S. workers apply for positions out of over 415,000 posted in fiscal year 25,” Ayoub said. “This is simply not a career that American workers are pursuing.” She added that a dependable workforce is critical to maintaining the nation’s food supply. “At the end of the day, to ensure that we have a healthy, reliable food source, we need and are reliant on our dependable workforce to make sure that happens.”
