Easing Farmworker Restrictions and Fruit Intake Declines
From the Ag Information Network, this is your Agribusiness Update.
**Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins says easing restrictions for noncitizen farmworkers is a top priority, as labor shortages continue to strain farmers across the U.S.
Changes to the H-2A visa program and new legal pathways could offer relief soon.
The Trump administration is working to finalize more lenient guidelines for noncitizen farmworkers by harvest season.
She says it’s an issue she’s had many long conversations with the president about over the years.
**Total U.S. fruit intake declined 7% to 0.93 cups per person per day in 2017-18, down from 1 cup in 2003-04.
A 50% drop in fruit juice intake, between 2003-04 and 2017-18, drove the overall decrease in fruit consumption.
For a nutritionally adequate diet, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans advises individuals to consume about one cup of fruit for every 1,000 calories, with some variations for children and adolescents based on sex and physical activity.
**Ocean container rates from Asia to North America saw a slight uptick last week as the Trump administration’s tariff-driven trade strategy roils global markets.
Freightos reports rates from Asia to the U.S. West Coast were up 10% week over week, according to an April 16 market update.
Rates to the East Coast went up 3%.
U.S. shippers have been frontloading goods since November to get ahead of tariffs.
