Ag Groups Urge Biden Administration to Grant Travel Exemptions to South African H-2A Farm Workers

More than 60 ag groups telling the Biden Administration on Monday the nearly 7,000 South African farm workers should be exempted from restrictions related to the Omicron variant.

More than 60 agricultural organizations are urging the Biden administration to grant exemptions for H-2A farm workers in the recent travel restrictions placed on South Africa.

American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and more than 60 other ag groups telling the Biden Administration on Monday the nearly 7,000 South African farm workers should be exempted from restrictions related to the Omicron variant.

Currently, entry is limited to only those that are fully vaccinated. The groups say workers should be able to travel directly to the U.S. and be vaccinated here with a CDC approved vaccine if they desire.

The groups also say that many of these H-2A workers come with a unique skill set and U.S. operations are counting on their timely arrival to make plans for the upcoming season.

AgWeb-Logo crop
Related Stories
Industry leaders say the products must deliver consistent agronomic results and measurable economic returns to earn their place in farmers’ input lineup.
A Navy SEAL with Ag Committee seniority faces a dairy farmer who lived the economics that forced her family to sell after 150 years. Both want your vote.
Yield monitors are telling one story this fall. Settlement sheets are telling another, reports Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist.
Read Next
From a retrofit boom to a dual-tank rig, targeted spraying is reducing herbicide bills — turning the challenges of tender logistics and tank mixing into cleaner fields and fewer weed escapes.
Get News Daily
Get Market Alerts
Get News & Markets App