New AEWR Good for Georgia and NCBA's Beef Import Concerns
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson and this is your Agribusiness Update.
**Southeast farmers could see major changes to labor costs under a new proposal from the Trump Administration aimed at revising the H-2A visa program for ag workers.
The proposed rule would update how workers are classified and lower the “Adverse Effect Wage Rate,” the minimum hourly rate employers must pay H-2A workers.
More than 37,000 Georgia farm jobs are filled each year through the H-2A program, with labor expenses up over 30% since 2022.
**The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association expressed significant concerns about President Trump’s plan to buy beef from Argentina to lower the prices for consumers.
NCBA CEO Colin Woodall says Argentina has a history of Foot and Mouth Disease, and consumer demand is strong because producers have improved the quality and safety of U.S. beef.
National Farmers Union president, Rob Larew says lowering beef prices for consumers starts with restoring fairness in the marketplace.
**For the past year, total beef supply tightened 3% and beef retail prices climbed to an average of $8 per pound, yet consumer demand surged to a 40-year high.
Despite the challenges, Certified Angus Beef sales reached over 1.2 billion pounds globally.
This year marks the brand’s third-best year, with a record-setting month in November and the brand’s all-time best sales month in March.
