Farmers are using a unique visa program for on-farm help

Labor challenges have been a big hurdle for U.S. producers, and it has led some to explore a unique type of visa program.

“TN visas are part of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and so they’re designated to nationals of Canada and Mexico who have professional degrees in a set number of professions, including foresters, veterinarians, and a certain number of agricultural professions. From a farmer side, they’re generally used mostly in pork production and dairy production, anyone who has specialized services, and generally doesn’t have access to H-2A because they’re not seasonal,” said Samantha Ayoub.

The Farm Bureau says the program works differently for each country workers come from. They have seen a big increase in applications in recent years, but they end up denying around 20 percent of all applications.

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