As labor shortages continue to impact the ag industry, Indiana Congresswoman Erin Houchin (R-9th District) has been meeting recently with producers and ag professionals—including those from the Indiana Corn Growers Association and Indiana Soybean Alliance—to get their feedback on solutions for workforce shortages impacting Indiana’s farms.
“I’m going to lean into what our farmers think their needs are, so certainly I’m supportive of that concept and trying to give them solutions that provide more certainty for them. That’s certainly what they’re asking for,” says Houchin.
Many ag groups, including the Indiana State Poultry Association and Indiana Dairy Producers, had pushed lawmakers for the bill to allow immigrant workers to work year-round on farms to not only fill workforce shortages, but to also save time and money on training and replenishing new workers.
Before Houchin was elected to represent Indiana’s Ninth Congressional District last year, the U.S. House had passed The Farm Workforce Modernization Act in 2021 that would have expanded the length of time that immigrant workers with H-2A visas are allowed to stay and work in the U.S. That bill was co-sponsored by Indiana Congressman Jim Baird (R-4th District), who also serves on the House Committee on Agriculture. However, the Senate version of that bill—The Affordable and Secure Food Act of 2022—failed to pass late last year, which also killed the corresponding House bill.
Houchin serves on the House Committee for Education and the Workforce and acknowledges the concerns of those who were opposed to previous labor reform bills.
“There were a lot of good things about that bill and some of my Republican colleagues might have had some concerns,” says Houchin. “I went to the U.S. southern border, and I’ve seen the immigration crisis firsthand. I’m committed to finding a solution for that—but, at the same time, we do have to have a workforce and that includes these farm communities that are struggling to find laborers and workers to do the work to put food on the tables for Hoosiers and the world.”
Houchin says one workforce solution to help Indiana’s farms would be to expand opportunities for high school students to learn trade skills to fill available jobs within the ag industry.
“This is an issue I will be working on this Congress,” says Houchin. “I’d love to see our high schools work closely with area job creators—including our farmers—to decide what technical programs are needed to fill the workforce needs in our local communities. Having these certification programs that meet the needs of the local workforce is integral to the plan, so I’m going to be looking at ways in which we can bolster our current structure in a way that’s more tailored to our local communities, including our farm communities.”
