PLANT CITY, Fla. — With a worker shortage across the United States, many American farmers rely on migrant workers to fill the employment gaps.
The H-2A Visa Program allows temporary visas for migrants to work in the agriculture industry, but having a visa to work here, doesn’t mean many can afford to live here, especially with the Tampa Bay region leading the country in inflation this last year.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm and Food Workers Relief (FFWR) Grant program is providing money to those who tirelessly picked and plowed farmers through the pandemic to May 2023.
The Hispanic Federation is one of 15 nonprofits across the country awarded a portion of the $671 million grant funding. They received $44.3 million. Right now, they’re taking applications from farmers who need help to receive a one-time payment of $600 dollars.
According to the Economic Policy Institute:
- More than two million farm workers were deemed “essential” during the pandemic in order to sustain food supply chains, but they earned an average of $14.62 an hour.
- The wage paid to most farm workers with H-2A visas was even lower at a national average of $13.68 per hour and the lowest in Georgia and Florida at $11.71.
The organization has helped 1,900 workers with the funding so far and plans to help a total of 12,000 in Florida with $7.2 million dollars. Overall, they hope to help 60,000 farm workers across 17 states.
The Hispanic Federation said anyone who worked on a farm or in a meat packing factory for at least one day from January 2020 to May 2023 may be eligible, and immigration status does not matter.
There are five community partners in Florida you can apply through. Click here to find the organization taking applications near you.
