COVID-19 is not only negatively affecting the prices and demand for crops, but also making it difficult for a lot of farmers to plant and harvest.

In the middle of March, the U.S. State Department postponed the processing of visas for Mexican migrant workers.

This news had led to a chaotic life for Joel Anderson, the Snake River Farmers Association's executive director. The Snake River Farmers Association is a not-for-profit organization in Heyburn that provides aid to farmers in need of migrant workers through the H-2A program of the country. Farmers established it in Paul in 1986. Currently, it has 600 members from 15 states in the U.S.

Changes in the Suspension Rules

The suspension rules changed a few days after its implementation when the U.S. State Department said that the requirements for some in-person interviews would be waived. This will allow some visa applications to be processed. The policies of the U.S. State Department is not only changing every day but sometimes every hour. "It is extraordinary," says Anderson.

Since the suspension has been even more relaxed, more H-2A migrant workers will be able to work in the country. However, the requirements for in-person interviews are not exempted from everyone. Currently, it is estimated that 20 percent of the workforce is required to undergo an in-person interview.

Arrival in the Country Before the Pandemic

Some Magic Valley H-2A migrant workers have already arrived in the country before the COVID-19 pandemic induced the changes to the procedure of visa processing. However, the 20 percent reduction in the workforce can result in significant issues for some U.S. farmers.

According to Anderson, some farm operations are threatened due to the changes.

There is a considerable number of H-2A workers who work on the same farm for years. Some farms with small operations are at risk of losing their veteran workers with immense experience.

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Migrant Workers in Magic Valley

From 2018 to 2019, approximately 1,200 migrant workers with H-2A visas came to Magic Valley, according to the data from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, and the Office of Foreign Labor. The data was collected by Jan Roeser, the regional economist of the Department of Labor in Idaho.

Revenue from Magic Valley

About half of the agricultural revenue of Idaho is from Magic Valley. The majority of the agricultural revenue of south-central Idaho is from dairy products, which needs employees for the entire year through the H-2A program of the U.S. with the exemption of herding sheep. The H-2A programs help farmers locate seasonal farmers.

Alfalfa requires the help of H-2A migrant workers in Magic Valley. The H-2A workers who work there were a quarter of the total migrant workers in the region who worked last year. Corn, sheep, straw, and hay also require hiring H-2A migrant workers.