H-2A and Your Ag Business: Legal and Ethical Considerations

As a farm business owner, you know that hiring farm employees can be tricky. And with ever-demanding operational needs, finding solutions to your workforce challenges is critical. But how do you know if the H-2A agricultural visa program may be right for you? How do you make sure that workers are being treated and paid fairly? And how can you help workers have a positive experience while they're on your farm?

Join Farm Commons and Featherstone Farm on Thursday, March 5 from 9:00-10:30 am Central Time for a closer look at these questions. We'll explore the H-2A visa program's legal and financial obligations, identify ways to mitigate any risk of human trafficking and other violations, and learn from first-hand on-farm experience with the program.

Gather with your farm community for shared learning and discussion and walk away from this session with a better understanding of the H-2A visa program's legal and ethical landscape. Whether you've already begun working with the H-2A program or you're just starting to consider it, you'll find plenty of value in this workshop's practical and farm-specific examples.

Speakers include:

Rachel Armstrong, JD - Farm Commons' Executive Director and Attorney

Abby Benson - Featherstone Farm's Field Production and H-2A Program Manager

This event is brought to you by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Dane County Extension and FairShare CSA Coalition, as part of the Becoming the Employer of Choice supplemental learning series. Please contact Sarah Janes Ugoretz (sarah.janesugoretz@wisc.edu) with any questions. Image credit: Wild Hope Farm.

The University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming in compliance with state and federal law.

This event will be conducted in English. You may request an interpreter, materials in an alternative language or format, or other services to make this event more accessible. Contact Sarah Janes Ugoretz at sarah.janesugoretz@wisc.edu or 6008-234-1561 by Monday February 23rd. There is no added cost to you for these services.