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H-2B Visa Demand Crashes Application Portal

Craig Regelbrugge & Laurie Flanagan* Due to capacity issues and the huge H-2B filing volume, the Department of Labor’s (DOL) iCERT online filing system crashed right after midnight on New Years Day, preventing H-2B filing for the second half of the fiscal year, as well as H-2A and other labor certification application filing.  According to the […]

New Congress, Same Government Shutdown, and H-2B Cap Relief

The 115th Congress officially ended at noon on January 3, and the 116th Congress was sworn in that same afternoon. The American electorate’s historic preference for divided government is again the reality; Republicans continue to control the Senate, with 53 of 100 seats, while Democrats control the House, 235 to 199, with one seat still […]

Increased Ip Options For Breeders Of Asexually Reproduced Plants Varieties

On Thursday December 20th, President Trump signed into law the Farm Bill 2018, which is officially known as the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018.  For breeders and growers of asexually reproduced plant varieties, this law is monumental as it broadens The Plant Variety Protection Act (PVPA) to include asexually reproduced plant varieties, thus opening a new […]

Greenhouse Grower/Exporters: December 4 Webinar!

Are you a greenhouse grower who ships to the Canadian market? If so, you should learn about the newly revised U.S. – Canada Greenhouse-Grown Plant Certification Program (GCP). The GCP can make exporting easier for participating growers by allowing them to ship with a special sticker rather than having to get and pay for an […]

An Update On Current Immigration-Realted Workplace Enforcement Initiatives And Practical Compliance Advice

This memo was prepared by Chris Schulte, of the law firm of CJ Lake, LLC, who serves as AmericanHort employment law counsel. The following summary is intended to provide general guidance regarding investigations common to the agricultural workplace. The reader should recognize that every investigation has its own unique circumstances and if one is uncertain as to what his/her rights and responsibilities are, help from an expert or lawyer should be sought.

Ambrosia Beetle Research Making Headlines

Jill Calabro, Ph.D. Research on how alcohol in trees impacts ambrosia beetle populations has been recently featured in major scientific news outlets. Dr. Chris Ranger, USDA-ARS, recently published new results in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a highly reputable scientific and peer-reviewed journal. PNAS features innovative, cutting-edge research that is often […]

H-2 Program Delays Building

Jill Calabro, Ph.D. Employers relying on the H-2A and H-2B seasonal worker visa programs, beware. Processing delays are building, and the next few months could be rough. AmericanHort and the H-2B Workforce Coalition, which we co-chair, continue to work with Congress to address processing delays at the Department of Labor (DOL). DOL blames processing delays […]

Wage & Hour Issues New Interpretation Of “Joint Employment”

Davi Bowen The Obama administration regulatory juggernaut continues, and now the Department of Labor’s Wage & Hour Division has issued a new interpretation of what constitutes “joint employment.” We asked Chris Schulte of CJ-Lake LLC, who advises AmericanHort on labor and employment matters, to walk us through what it all means. For years, there has […]