The Hands Behind the Harvest: Why Legal Farm Workers Matter to Every Consumer

By Anna Holmes

Louisiana Farm Bureau News

The next time you pour out a sack of boiled crawfish, bite into a sweet slice of king cake or buy a carton of fresh Louisiana strawberries, think about the work that happens long before those Louisiana staples reach your table.

The early mornings, long hours and physically demanding labor most people rarely see are essential to putting food on your plate. In Louisiana agriculture, much of that unseen work depends on a foreign workforce. Legal, regulated workers fill seasonal agricultural jobs that many farms and processors cannot fill with domestic labor alone.

These visa programs — including H-2A and H-2B — allow guest workers to help with planting, harvesting and operating equipment on the farm, as well as processing and packaging off the farm. For producers and consumers, this is not an abstract policy debate. It directly affects whether Louisiana can continue producing the local food families rely on, whether those products stay on grocery shelves and whether the farms and processors that anchor rural communities can remain open.

At the 2026 Mid-South Labor Seminar, hosted by the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation’s Labor Advisory Committee, Katie Nunez, chair of the committee, explained why farmers must be part of the conversation.

“We are ensuring that we have a safe food source here in the United States, and the only way to do that, in most cases, is by a foreign workforce,” Nunez said. “It’s scary on both ends. These workers and farmers do their best and participate in this program to make sure their workers are here legally.”

When farmers cannot navigate the hiring process confidently, the consequences ripple outward: slower production, less local product moving and tighter supplies that can drive up prices for consumers.

Nunez said farmers spend significant time navigating the legal requirements tied to the visa programs.

“Farmers are already wearing enough hats on the farm as is,” Nunez said. “They need to come and listen to people who can help them with simpler ways to stay in compliance.”

Although these temporary visa programs benefit farmers, legal laborers and consumers, many workers have grown anxious amid the current national conversation surrounding immigration.

“Farmers are having to explain to their workers that they are here legally, and that they do have documentation,” Nunez said. “Farmers are working within the rules and regulations, making sure they are constantly reassuring workers that everything is going to be fine.”

William Mencer, an attorney and farmer from Arkansas, emphasized the important role guest workers play in keeping farms and rural communities functioning.

“If we can’t keep our farms productive and can’t produce, everything starts to collapse and erode as a country,” Mencer said. “We must protect our country from the inside. Keeping the farms operational is very important.”

The labor gap between domestic and foreign workers remains significant due to the demanding, labor-intensive nature of the work.

“The work on the farm is tough work, it’s hot work,” Mencer said. “The only people who are willing to do the work are these foreign workers.”

These visa programs are complex and come with extensive rules and requirements, making it even more important for producers to understand how deeply they contribute to agriculture and consumers alike.

In 2024, Louisiana agricultural products contributed $7.4 billion to the state’s economy. After processing and distribution, that value grew to $12.9 billion, demonstrating how deeply agriculture is woven into the state’s broader economy and consumer markets.

A reduction in this workforce could mean crops left unharvested, fewer locally produced goods on shelves and higher costs passed on to consumers at the checkout line.

Without the legal workforce that supports planting, harvesting and processing, that economic engine could slow. These programs help sustain the livelihoods of farmers and the stability of restaurants and grocery stores across the state. Agriculture remains a foundation of Louisiana’s rural communities, and maintaining a reliable labor force helps keep farms productive, supply chains moving and food consistently available to consumers.

For industry leaders like Mencer, maintaining these programs is about more than policy. It is about protecting the foundation of American agriculture.

“We have to keep the land productive, and doing that requires being on the land working those tough, hot jobs,” Mencer said. “The only people who are willing to do that are foreign workers. That’s why it’s important to maintain the integrity and existence of the H-2A and H-2B programs, to keep our farms functioning.”