The Trump administration has moved to end the USDA’s long-standing Farm Labor Survey (FLS), a key source of wage data used to set pay rates for temporary H-2A farmworkers.
Farm employer groups praised the decision, arguing that the FLS has long inflated wages beyond what markets or farmers could sustain, while farmworker advocates are expected to challenge the move in court. The timing has created confusion, as the Labor Department recently reverted to using FLS data after a federal judge struck down a 2023 rule that relied on alternative wage data from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS).
Employer groups, particularly the National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE), celebrated USDA’s decision, claiming it gives farmers relief from what they call “imaginary” government-imposed wages and restores competitiveness against foreign producers. They argue that the FLS distorted pay levels, sometimes exceeding military salaries and rising faster than Social Security adjustments.
Photo Credit: USDA
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