LANARK, Ill. – From the rolling wheat fields in Kansas, to the vast vegetable plots in California and even in the corn fields of Illinois, farmers and ranchers across America are feeling the sting of the farm labor crisis. September raids of wheat fields and meat processing plants in Southwest Kansas, including Liberal, Dodge City and Garden City, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers served to thrust the farm labor crisis back into the public eye.

“ICE’s targeting of these communities sows fear, instability, and chaos into the lives of those trying to make a living and feed our nation,” according to a statement issued by the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 2 union, which represents more than 2,500 plant workers at their facilities in Dodge City and Liberal, after the Sept, 22-24 raids that resulted in over 100 reported arrests and detainments.

Meatpacking industry groups also raised concerns that recent “heightened immigration operations in Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma have caused employees to miss work, leading to problems at meat-related businesses that could ultimately raise prices for consumers,” the Associated Press (AP) reported.

“The Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association and Kansas Livestock Association said in a statement that (ICE) operations have prompted delays in the shipment of thousands of cattle, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue,” according to the AP report. “The groups say ICE operations have disrupted operations at feedlots, dairy processors, feed and grain companies, and transportation hubs.”

Also at issue is how many of the workers detained by ICE were in the country illegally, noted Kathleen Alonso, an immigrant rights advocate for the organization New Frontiers, who followed up with families after their loved ones were detained.

The dearth of farm laborers has been an issue for U.S. farmers and ranchers for decades, but was recently taken to another level with stricter border enforcement, visa backlogs and soaring wage escalations. An estimated 2.4 million agricultural jobs are currently unfilled, according to data compiled by FTI Consulting.

In June, the USDA, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Labor (DOL) issued new guidance clarifying that dairy operations may use the H-2A temporary agricultural worker program when they can demonstrate a qualifying temporary or seasonal labor need under existing law. However, labor shortages persist in virtually all aspects of agricultural production. Overall farm employment fell by 35 percent from 1969 to 2023, before the current crisis involving immigration crackdowns began, the University of Illinois found.

Just under 400,000 temporary agricultural positions in the U.S. were held by H-2A visa holders in 2025, the DOL disclosed. Nearly half were employed in just five states: Florida, Georgia, California, Washington and North Carolina.

Illinois had over 3,400 H-2A, or foreign worker, positions certified in fiscal year 2022, according to the Office of Foreign Labor Certification. Total seasonal H-2A agricultural labor employment in Indiana sits at around 2,550 workers per year, while Ohio employs around 4,000 seasonal foreign farm workers under the H-2A program.

Lanark farmer Lou Lamoreux thinks labor will be one of the biggest challenges facing the next generation of farmers. As he and his brother, John, approach 80, Lamoreux knows the farm will need younger workers to take on both management and the physical work required to keep their diversified operation running.

“I think labor’s gonna be a challenge,” said Lamoreux, who feeds out around 2,000 cattle per year at Lamaroux Farms in Carroll County. “There always seem to be more projects than what we’ve got manpower to do, and there’s not very many people out there that are willing to do work.”

In addition to having trouble finding qualified equipment operators, Lamoreux understands that working with livestock can be an especially difficult sell to prospective workers. Lack of exposure to livestock is part of the problem, he said, adding that some farm kids today have never been around livestock.

“They don’t know and they haven’t been around it. And even a lot of the farm kids have never been around livestock,” said Lamoreux, a former director of the Illinois Corn Marketing Board and Illinois Beef Association environmental stewardship award winner.

A reform bill before the U.S. House of Representatives, introduced by House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Glenn (GT) Thompson on June 30, would expand the H-2A agricultural visa program, create online platforms for H-2A employers, workers and agencies, and codify certain wage calculations.

“It’s time to bring the H-2A program into the 21st century,” Thompson said of his bipartisan Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026 (H.R. 9535). “Producers have been sounding the alarm for years that Congress needs to address the workforce crisis we have on our hands in farm country. The H-2A visa program is woefully outdated, and it no longer meets the needs of American agricultural production.”

Workers on H-2A visas are currently allowed to perform agricultural work only of a seasonal or temporary nature. Thompson’s bill would remove the seasonal work requirement, allowing H-2A workers to qualify for agricultural work year-round. It also expands the type of agricultural work that qualifies under H-2A, including reforestation and livestock work. It also asks the USDA to issue updated rules to define agricultural labor or services for purposes of the H-2A program, and establishes an H-2A visa pathway for current unauthorized agricultural workers who otherwise meet requirements.

Thompson’s law would also task the DOL with maintaining an online job registry and database of all job offers submitted by employers seeking a labor certification required to employ H-2A workers. In addition, the DHS would establish an online platform for employers to submit information and documentation for review by federal agencies in the course of admitting H-2A workers.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall strongly endorsed Thompson’s bill in a prepared statement. “We are grateful to Chairman Thompson for listening to America’s farmers. Farm bureau members participated in the bipartisan House Agriculture Labor Working Group, and they shared the obstacles to participation in guest worker programs. Their needs are largely addressed in the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act. It delivers meaningful farm labor reform and will provide certainty and fairness to both farmers and their employees as they contribute to a strong and healthy food supply,” he said.