BISMARCK – The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is working to assist those in need of seasonal or temporary agriculture labor as routine visa services have been suspended at the consulates in Mexico, South Africa, and Jamaica due to the coronavirus situation.
“North Dakota agriculture relies on seasonal and temporary ag labor to help fill the gaps when domestic workers are in short supply. According to the 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture, North Dakota utilized nearly 1,800 of these workers,” Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said. “We appreciate that USDA continues to work with the State Department, Department of Labor, and the Department of Homeland Security to work through these difficulties.”
Monitoring and updates will be available on www.farmers.gov/manage/h2a.
Those with concerns regarding the ability of seasonal or temporary agriculture labor to obtain an H2A visa should contact the USDA via email at aglabor@usda.gov.