See the details of the Affordable and Secure Food Act, which was introduced in the US Senate on December 15th.

On December 15th, Colorado Senator Michael Bennet introduced the Affordable and Secure Food Act to the US Senate. It is touted by supporters as legislation that will create a pathway to legal status for current, undocumented employees and improve the existing guest worker program. Many ag organizations have shown support for the legislation, including the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA), the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, the National Potato Council, the International Fresh Produce Association, the National Farmers Union, and the National Milk Producers Federation. A Citrus Industry article shared details of the bill.

Details of the Affordable and Secure Food Act

The Affordable and Secure Food Act, or ASFA, “would create a path to legal status for undocumented farm workers and freeze the adverse effect wage rate (AEWR) at the 2022 rates for one year and cap future increases by 3%,” according to the article. Additional points of the bill include:

  • Establish a program for agriculture workers, along with their spouses and minor children, to earn legal status. Farm workers in the program may earn a path to a green card after 10 years of agriculture work.
  • Reform the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker program by providing H-2A visas for year-round jobs for the first time, modernizing the application process, creating more wage certainty and ensuring critical protections for H-2A farm workers.
  • Establish a mandatory, nationwide electronic verification system for all agricultural employment, with high standards for privacy and accuracy.
  • Lower the cost of and increase access to farm workers and rural housing.

The FFVA released a statement that “The FFVA is supportive of the bill for the wage relief it would provide, pre-empting the 2023 AEWR increases of 15.5%.”

Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture. For questions or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.