There’s no waiting when cantaloupes are ready to harvest.

These perishable fruits can go from unripe to unsellable in just a few days’ time.

But this spring, our harvesters from Mexico did not receive their temporary work visas to begin their contracts in time.

Nearly 15,000 cartons of cantaloupe never made it to grocery stores. They rotted on the vine before help arrived.

Sadly, our story is not unique.

Many of our neighbors also did not get the labor they needed this year. 

And that’s a major blow not only for Yuma, where my family farms, but also to our state and our nation’s ability to feed itself.

Farms rely on ag worker program

Nearly all the leafy greens, broccoli and cauliflower in American stores during the winter are grown in Yuma, as are about a quarter of the melons in May, June and November.

Our farms protect national food security — but only if we can find the labor to do this work. 

Technology and automation are no silver bullets. Lettuce, broccoli and melons are delicate. Machine harvesters can easily crush or bruise them.

And consumers hold exacting standards for fruits and vegetables.

That’s why each piece is still hand-selected by someone who knows how to wield a harvesting knife with gentle hands. 

Other workers hand-package produce in the field so it can be quickly transported to stores.

It’s tough work. It often requires long hours.

And few domestic workers are willing to do it. 

According to federal Department of Labor data, domestic workers filled 182 of the nearly 415,000 temporary agriculture positions advertised across the nation last fiscal year.

That’s 0.04% of available jobs.

H-2A contains many safeguards

The H-2A temporary agricultural worker program was created in 1986 to alleviate agriculture worker shortages. 

It includes multiple safeguards to ensure that domestic workers are chosen first for open positions and that hiring foreign workers won’t negatively affect U.S. wages.

Extensive reviews are completed before workers are issued temporary work visas and granted admission to the country.

Farmers pay for these reviews, often flying prospective employees hundreds of miles to available embassies or consulates for interviews. 

Once workers arrive, farmers ensure they are well cared for by providing them with housing, transportation and meals.

That includes transporting workers once a week to the supermarket if their housing includes a kitchen, and if it does not, providing them with three meals a day that meet federal nutrition guidelines.

The program has serious shortcomings

Despite these considerable costs, an American Farm Bureau Federation analysis found that H-2A is on track for record use this year.

For many farmers like me, this is the only way to legally fill some jobs.

But H-2A has plenty of shortcomings.

The program is administered by five federal agencies that often issue contradicting guidance, making it difficult and time-consuming to use.

H-2A is also notoriously inflexible, requiring farmers to determine months in advance when they’ll need help. 

Visas can be delayed with little explanation, sometimes missing short windows to complete time-sensitive work.

Not to mention that the program only allows temporary work, when local irrigators and equipment operators also are in short supply. 

Without domestic labor to fill these year-round positions, critical work to grow and harvest food for Americans simply goes undone.

And our country steadily loses its ability to feed its people. 

Congress must pass reforms now

Many have tried and failed to reform H-2A in the four decades since it was created.

This one is different.

U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Penn., has spent more than two years gathering ideas to expand and modernize this critical program.  

Unlike previous attempts, his Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act has garnered wide support from agricultural groups.

It allows farmers to recover more of their costs for housing and transportation.

It opens H-2A to dairy, forestry and other agricultural industries experiencing extreme labor shortages. 

And it allows employers to hire workers for longer portions of the year.

In a perfect world, farmers like me would not need H-2A.

But the strong market forces driving domestic labor shortages leave us little choice.

This is a national issue, but reasonable labor reform will have lasting and positive impact for Arizona. 

Congress has a rare opportunity to ensure farmers have the labor we need, when we need it. They must act quickly, so we can continue to deliver high-quality food to your plate.

John Boelts is president of Arizona Farm Bureau. He grows lettuce, melons and other crops on a 3,000-acre farm in Yuma. Reach him at johnboelts@azfb.org.