Mass deportations, removal of workers' protected status and failure to reform the H-2A seasonal labor visa program are "wreaking havoc" on dairy, fruit and produce, and meat processing — according to a letter to the House and Senate Committees for Agriculture from a bipartisan group of commodity organization chiefs, farm leaders and former USDA officials. The February 3 letter, originally reported in the New York Times, sounds the alarm on the policies of Donald Trump that are "threatening the long-term competitiveness of U.S. agriculture" — and offers a nine-point plan for addressing the issues.
"The policies of this Administration have caused tremendous harm to U.S. agriculture. But it is not too late to turn this around," the letter says, addressed to House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Glenn 'GT' Thompson and Ranking Member Angie Craig, along with Senate Committee on Agriculture Chairman John Boozman and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar. It is signed by 24 leaders from the U.S. agricultural industry, including former heads of the National Corn Growers Association, the American Soybean Association, the Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration and the National Milk Producers Federation.
The letter lists policies it argues are exacerbating an already economically strained industry — including the administration's stance on immigration. "The current Administration's actions, along with Congressional inaction, have increased costs for farm inputs, disrupted overseas and domestic markets, denied agriculture its reliable labor pool, and defunded critical ag research," the letter states.
From a supply chain perspective, this situation exposes fundamental vulnerabilities in U.S. food supply chains. Dairy farms are dependent on immigrant labor by up to 50%, while fruit and vegetable harvesting depends by up to 70%. Modernization of the H-2A program; investment in agricultural robotics (John Deere; Carbon Robotics; Naio Technologies); and supplier diversification via nearshoring are key adaptation strategies in the medium term. Otherwise, food price inflation, farm closures and increased import dependence appear inevitable.
