The agriculture industry in the United States is facing the largest labor shortage in close to ten years. Farms are reporting growing struggles to hire field workers, while labor agencies confirm steep declines.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the sector has lost 155,000 workers between March and August. That decline has left many growers worried about production and food supply.
At Parkesdale Farms in Dover, Florida, rows of soil are being prepared for the critical strawberry season. The fields need hundreds of workers, and hiring remains at the center of the challenge.
Matt Parke, Vice President and Director of Operations, said the farm is prepared to continue relying on guest workers. His family business has used the H-2A visa program for years.
“There’s a lot of hoops you have to jump through to get certified. Housing, transportation, all of it has to be inspected,” Parke explained. He said the process costs time and money.
Parke said about 95 percent of Florida berry farms now depend on H-2A workers. These laborers come from other countries for short contracts. They return home once the season is over.
“After the job’s finished, they leave. It is more expensive than hiring undocumented workers, but it’s dependable. At least you know they will show up and complete the work,” Parke said.
Parke explained his own farm is not feeling the shortages as strongly since H-2A visas provide a structured labor pool. But he admitted that others are not as secure.
For farms still reliant on undocumented labor, the past four months have been especially difficult. Tighter Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity has led to detentions and reduced hiring nationwide.
Industry leaders warn that the shortage could lead to smaller harvests, less supply, and then higher food prices. Some stores are already preparing to source produce from other countries.
Mexico remains the likeliest option. Farmers like Parke point out that wages for field labor are far lower there when compared to the United States. That cost gap keeps Mexican goods cheaper.
“The best way to explain it is this: our workers can make around $100 a day here. In Mexico, that same worker might get $5.20 a day,” Parke said.
This gap has long created price competition between U.S. produce and imports. A tariff of 25 percent on Mexican shipments has helped narrow the imbalance, but concerns remain.
Parke believes the ongoing shortage will force more U.S. farmers toward guest worker programs. He says this is already becoming the standard in Florida, the nation’s second-largest strawberry producer after California.
The use of guest workers is not new, but reliance has increased. Federal records show steady growth in applications for H-2A visas, while farm groups continue calling for faster approvals.
The American Farm Bureau has warned that delays in hiring programs are tightening schedules for planting and harvesting. It expects produce availability to become more unstable through the fall and winter months.
In areas with strong dependence on seasonal workers, farms may leave crops unharvested. Losses from waste could then spread across the supply chain, making produce more costly for consumers.
For a family-owned farm like Parkesdale, the issue highlights the tradeoff between higher expenses now and long-term stability later. Parke said his family prefers steady labor even if it comes at a premium.
He also expects pressure from buyers and grocery chains to grow. “If supply goes down here, big stores will not wait. They’ll look to fill orders through Mexico,” he said.
Experts agree that the future of farm labor in the U.S. will likely lean even harder toward guest worker visas. For many, the shortage has already erased other hiring options.
The long-term outcome may reshape how growers, distributors, and consumers connect across borders. What remains clear is that farmers fear they do not have enough workers for the fields today, according to a report by Bay News 9 highlighting that the agriculture industry is facing its largest labor shortage in nearly a decade .
