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10 CapitalPress.com November 20, 2015 H-2A to increase as immigration stalls By DAN WHEAT Capital Press WAFLA workforce summits set WENATCHEE, Wash. — With immigration reform dead in the U.S. House, agri- cultural employers throughout WKH3DFL¿F1RUWKZHVWDQGEH- \RQG ZLOO FRQWLQXH WR WXUQ WR WKH +$ JXHVWZRUNHU YLVD SURJUDP WR PHHW WKHLU ODERU QHHGV D ODERU DVVRFLDWLRQ leader says. 5DSLG JURZWK RI +$ ZRUNHUV LQ ODQGVFDSH QXUV- HULHV EHUULHV DQG WUHH IUXLW LV OLNHO\ LQ 2UHJRQ DQG LQ WUHH fruit and hops in Idaho as an- QXDO JURZWK VORZV IURP to 15 percent in Washington ZKHUH XVH DOUHDG\ LV KLJK said Dan Fazio, director of the :DVKLQJWRQ )DUP /DERU $V- VRFLDWLRQLQ2O\PSLD The federal H-2A program DOORZV DJULFXOWXUDO HPSOR\HUV WR KLUH IRUHLJQ JXHVWZRUNHUV RQ WHPSRUDU\ ZRUN YLVDV WR ¿OO VHDVRQDO MREV (PSOR\HUV PXVWVKRZDVKRUWDJHRI86 ZRUNHUV LQ WKH DUHD DQG SUR- YLGH KRXVLQJ WUDQVSRUWDWLRQ DQGDPLQLPXPZDJH )D]LR WDONHG ZLWK DSSOH SDFNHUV LQWHUHVWHG LQ WKH SUR- JUDP LQ :HQDWFKHH 1RY +$KDVEHHQXVHGPRVWO\LQ KDUYHVW EXW LW¶V LQFUHDVLQJ LQ SDFNLQJKHVDLG 7KHDVVRFLDWLRQNQRZQDV :$)/$ KLUHV DQG SURYLGHV DERXWSHUFHQWRIWKH +$ ZRUNHUV XVHG LQ WKH VWDWH7KDW¶VXSIURPODVW By DAN WHEAT Capital Press Dan Wheat/Capital Press A Custom Orchards crew harvests Honeycrisp apples on the south edge of Brewster, Wash., Aug. 31. Growers have increasingly turned to H-2A visa foreign guestworkers for this work in recent years because of labor shortages. \HDUDQGLQ :DVKLQJWRQ UDQNHG IRXUWK EHKLQG *HRUJLD )ORULGD DQG 1RUWK&DUROLQDLQ+$ZRUN- HUV LQ 1RUWK &DUROLQD WRSSHG WKH OLVW DW DF- cording to the U.S. Depart- PHQWRI/DERU ³7KH GRPHVWLF ODERU IRUFH FRQWLQXHV WR GZLQGOH IHOW D ORW OLNH ZKHUH SHRSOHZHUHQRWSLFNLQJORZ- HU YDOXH IUXLW´ )D]LR VDLG ³, ORRN IRU WKDW WUHQG WR FRQWLQ- XH:H¶UHFRPSHWLQJZLWKWKH FRQVWUXFWLRQLQGXVWU\ZKLFKLV still the highest paid seasonal ZRUNDURXQG´ 7KH2EDPDDGPLQLVWUDWLRQ VKRXOG PDNH WKH OHJDO +$ SURJUDP ZRUN EHWWHU EXW LQ- VWHDG KDV PDGH LW PRUH GLI¿- cult, Fazio said. The president is more inter- ested in pursuing his execu- WLYH RUGHU RI TXHVWLRQDEOH DX- WKRULW\´WRJUDQWZRUNHUVWDWXV to 5 million illegal immigrants LQWKH86WKDQKHLVLQPDNLQJ WKH OHJDO +$ SURJUDP ZRUN more smoothly, Fazio said. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court RI $SSHDOV EORFNHG WKH DG- PLQLVWUDWLRQ¶V H[HFXWLYH RUGHU 1RY 7KH DGPLQLVWUDWLRQ VD\V LW ZLOO DSSHDO WR WKH 6X- SUHPH &RXUW $ ZHHN HDUOLHU QHZ+RXVH6SHDNHU3DXO5\DQ 5:LV VDLG KH ZLOO QRW ZRUN ZLWK 2EDPD RQ LPPLJUDWLRQ UHIRUP EHFDXVH WKH SUHVLGHQW FDQ¶W EH WUXVWHG RQ WKH LVVXH VLQFHKHZHQWDURXQG&RQJUHVV LQLVVXLQJKLVH[HFXWLYHRUGHU WAFLA plans to open of- ¿FHVLQ2UHJRQDQG,GDKRDQG VHHVJURZWKIRU+$LQKRSV in Idaho and Washington, (//(16%85* :DVK — Agricultural employers PD\ OHDUQ PRUH DERXW WKH :DVKLQJWRQ )DUP /DERU $VVRFLDWLRQ¶V +$ YLVD IRUHLJQ JXHVWZRUNHU SUR- JUDP DW WKH DVVRFLDWLRQ¶V DQQXDO :RUNIRUFH 6XPPLW at Central Washington Uni- YHUVLW\-DQ +$ZLOOEHLQWURGXFHG to employers considering it IRUWKH¿UVWWLPH7KRVHZKR KDYHXVHGLWZLOOVKDUHH[SH- riences. Housing, transpor- WDWLRQ UHFUXLWPHQW ZDJHV and other aspects of the pro- JUDPZLOOEHH[SODLQHG Those planning to attend VKRXOG UHJLVWHU E\ WKH HQG RI'HFHPEHUDWZZZZDÀD Fazio said. 2UHJRQ XVHG DERXW +$ ZRUNHUV WKLV \HDU DQG OLNHO\ZLOOLQFUHDVHE\QH[W \HDU SDUWLFXODUO\ DPRQJ YHJ- HWDEOH JURZHUV LQ WKH &DQE\ DUHDVDLG0RQWVH:DONHU:$- FLA H-2A program manager. ,GDKR KDG ZRUNHUV RQ one contract this year and SUREDEO\ ZLOO KDYH WKUHH RU IRXU FRQWUDFW IRU DERXW ZRUNHUVWRWDOQH[W\HDU:DON- er said. ³:HGLGFRQVXOWLQJZRUNLQ Michigan and California this org. :$)/$ DOVR ZLOO KROG WKH VXPPLW LQ &DQE\ 2UH -DQDWDORFDWLRQ\HWWR EHGHWHUPLQHG 7KHDVVRFLDWLRQZLOOKROG LWV DQQXDO /DERU &RQIHU- HQFHDW&:8LQ(OOHQVEXUJ )HE ,PPLJUDWLRQ WKH $IIRUGDEOH &DUH $FW UHVW EUHDN SD\ IRU SLHFH UDWH ZRUNHUVDQGSURSRVDOVWRLQ- FUHDVH WKH VWDWH¶V PLQLPXP ZDJHZLOOEHGLVFXVVHG 6H[XDO KDUDVVPHQW ZLOO EH GLVFXVVHG 6WDUWLQJ -DQ 1, WAFLA is offering a sex- ual harassment hotline to JURZHUVIRUDVOLWWOHDV SHU \HDU ,W LQVXODWHV JURZ- HUV IURP EHLQJ DFFXVHG RI GRLQJ QRWKLQJ DERXW FRP- plaints, said Dan Fazio, WAFLA director. \HDU DQG KHOSHG EULQJ ZRUNHUV WR 0LFKLJDQ IRU WUHH IUXLW´)D]LRVDLG $ERXW LQGLYLGXDO JURZHUV KLUH +$ ZRUNHUV through WAFLA in Washing- ton, Fazio said. The smallest FRQWUDFW LV IRU WZR ZRUNHUV and the largest is for more than 7KHUHDUHVHYHUDOLQWKH ZRUNHU UDQJH DQG PRVW DUHRUIHZHU=LUNOH)UXLW &R 6HODK RSHUDWHV LWV RZQ SURJUDPDQGKDG+$ ZRUNHUV LQ DFFRUGLQJ 86'2/ LaCrosse FFA Team Wins National Competition Britte Harder, Abigail McGregor and Jason Wigen make their winning presentation Oct. 30 at the National FFA Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. The team bested 31 other state champion teams in the Marketing Plan Competition. Photo courtesy of LaCrosse, WA, FFA presentation followed by a question-and-answer session with a panel of expert judges. Following the initial round, the pool was narrowed to 18 state teams. Representing Washington state FFA, LaCrosse advanced to the final round against teams from Georgia, Michigan and Nebraska. Although McGregor, Harder and Wigen presented at 5:30 a.m. local time on Oct. 30, they didn’t find out until the awards banquet later that night they had won the competition. As national champions, each student was awarded a $1,000 cash prize from Bunge North America; a St. Louis-based agricultural commodities marketing company. Following the completion of her high school studies, Britte Harder plans to become a commercial airline pilot, and Abby McGregor plans to study architecture. Jason Wigen is currently serving as state FFA reporter and will attend Washington State University in the fall to study crop sciences. This is the second team that Baser has taken to the National FFA Marketing Plan Competition. In 2008, she coached the team from Pomeroy High School, where her husband was the FFA adviser at the time. 47-2/#13 LACROSSE, Wash. — A team of three LaCrosse High School students has been named national champions at the 88th National FFA Convention in Louisville, Ky. The FFA Marketing Plan Competition team was comprised of juniors Britte Harder and Abigail McGregor and 2015 graduate Jason Wigen. The rural Whitman County school has about 30 students. After winning their district competition last year, the trio of students defeated 22 other Washington high school teams at last spring’s state convention in Pullman. Following the win at WSU, the team spent the summer and fall polishing its plan and presentation skills in preparation for the national convention, which annually draws over 60,000 attendees. The team prepared and presented a plan designed for Dixon Land and Livestock JV to improve and grow its annual Club Calf Sale in Pomeroy, Wash. They were able to apply this real world experience in conjunction with direction from their FFA chapter advisor and teacher, Lisa Baser, to garner the national award. In Louisville, the LaCrosse team competed against 31 other state champions. Each round of the competition included a team