THE PACKER March 7, 2005 H-2A pairs flaws with advantages, growers say By Tom Karst, National Editor Despite its flaws, users of the H-2A program don’t have to worry about their workers dying in the desert trying to come to the U.S. That peace of mind is worth something to growers. At the same time, U.S. producers who rely on the program complain that it penalizes them compared to growers who hire illegal aliens. Tom Bentley, owner of Bentley Farms, Thorsby, Ala., said he uses a labor agent company – AgWorks Inc. of Lake Park, Ga. – to help manage the program for his farm. Dan Bremer, owner of AgWorks, said his company handles paperwork for several thousand gest workers on behalf of U.S. growers, including taking care of visas, transportation and employer paperwork relating to housing inspections. Overall, he estimates 50,000 workers in the H-2A program are used by U.S. agricultural producers. Bremer said the number of undocumented workers in the U.S. has been estimated between 8 million and 20 million. Some industry estimates say there could be 500,000 undocumented workers or more in agriculture. RETURN WORKERS: He said the H-2A program gives employers using it greater familiarity with their workforce than the rapid turnover among undocumented workers. The cost to growers include bus transportation to and from their assigned U.S. farm, which Bremer said is about $154 each way to Alabama. In Alabama, Georgia and Florida, employers pay visa fees of $206 per worker. The fees for the services that AgWorks provides are about $85 per worker, which brings the nonpayroll cost to about $600 per worker. The cost pays off when growers get many of the same workers year after year. “In fresh produce, you need just the right product to be harvested at the right time,” Bremer said. The reason that the H-2A program is not used more today is primarily because of the abundance of undocumented workers, Bremer said.