The “Let’s Talk About Labor Podcast” aims to help farmers and ag businesses connect with other ag businesses in Tennessee and other surrounding states, specifically to hear and learn about their experiences and challenges related to labor and the strategies they have used to overcome these challenges. In this podcast, we talk about various topics, such as US temporary foreign visa programs, mechanization and automation, and worker recruitment and retention strategies, among other topics. Different agencies and organizations have partnered with us to make this podcast possible, including the Southern Risk Management Education Center, GAP Connections, the US Department of Agriculture SCRI program, and the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development. This podcast would not be possible without the participation of farmers and ag businesses.
Episode 1: Let’s talk about the H-2A program – Farmers’ experiences with the H-2A program
In this episode, George McDonald, owner of Catesa Farms, and Bart Gilmer, one of the owners of Falcon Ridge Farm, will talk about their general experience with the H-2A program. The H-2A temporary agricultural program, also called the H-2A visa program, is a program that allows U.S. agricultural employers experiencing a shortage of domestic workers to fill seasonal or temporary jobs with foreign nonimmigrant workers.
Episode 2: H-2A Worker Housing: Practical Things I Need to Know Before Considering the H-2A Program
In this episode, George McDonald, owner of Catesa Farms, and Bart Gilmer, one of the owners of Falcon Ridge Farm, will talk about housing requirements related to the H-2A program. Employers of H-2A workers must provide housing at no cost to workers. If the employer decides to secure rental accommodations, such as apartments, hotels, or motels, the employer is required to pay all housing-related charges directly to the housing management. Employer-provided or secured housing must meet all applicable safety standards. Housing costs include repairs, water testing, and utilities if the employer is providing housing on-site instead of securing rental accommodations. In Tennessee, the type of housing provided by employers to H-2A workers varies greatly depending on the number of workers.
Episode 3: H-2A Worker Transportation: Practical Things I Need to Know Before Considering the H-2A Program
In this episode, George McDonald, owner of Catesa Farms, and Bart Gilmer, one of the owners of Falcon Ridge Farm, will talk about the inbound and outbound transportation of H-2A workers. There are costs associated with workers traveling from their home country to the work site and back to their country, including transportation and subsistence costs. There are also costs related to workers’ transportation for traveling to and from the living quarters, the grocery store, and the bank. These costs will vary depending on the worker’s country of origin, mode of transportation, distance to the grocery store and bank, and distance from the living quarters to the worksite. In this episode, we will only talk about inbound and outbound transportation.
Episode 4: H-2A Program Housing Requirements
In this Episode, Lance Butler from the Tennessee Department of Labor will talk about housing requirements under the H-2A visa program and housing options. Lance Butler oversees four programs in Tennessee, including the H2A and H2B visa programs, the Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker program, and the Senior Community Service Employment Program.
Episode 5: H-2A Program Housing Inspections
In this Episode, Lance Butler from the Tennessee Department of Labor will talk about housing inspections under the H-2A visa program. Lance Butler oversees four programs in Tennessee, including the H2A and H2B visa programs, the Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker program, and the Senior Community Service Employment Program.
Episode 6: Tobacco and Row Crop Growers’ Experience with the H-2A Program
In this episode, Jackie Edwards, co-owner of Corn Silk Farms LLC, a grain farm in Middle Tennessee, Joey Knight, from Joey Knight Farm, a tobacco and cattle farm in Middle Tennessee, and Dalton Armstrong, from Armstrong Tobacco Farms, will discuss their general experience with the H-2A program.
Episode 7: Tobacco and Row Crop Growers’ Experience with H-2A Worker Housing
In this episode, Jackie Edwards, co-owner of Corn Silk Farms LLC, a grain farm located in Middle Tennessee, Joey Knight, from Joey Knight Farm, a tobacco and cattle farm located in Middle Tennessee, and Dalton Armstrong, from Armstrong Tobacco Farms, a tobacco and cattle farm, will talk about their experience with providing housing for H-2A workers. Jackie will talk specifically about her unique experience employing and housing H-2A workers from different countries.
Episode 8: Labor Challenges and Strategies to Overcome These Challenges – Lessons Learned by a Tennessee Nursery Operation
In this episode, Terry Hines, owner of Hale & Hines Nursery, will talk about labor challenges he has faced in his operation and strategies he has used to overcome those challenges, including strategies he has used to improve worker retention.
For more information about the podcast, and topics you would like to hear about, contact Margarita Velandia, mvelandi@tennessee.edu.
