Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Wagner-Peyser Program (Employment Services)
All Program-Specific Requirements provided for the WIOA core programs in this section must be addressed for either a Unified or Combined State Plan.
e. 2. An assessment of the agricultural activity in the State means: 1) Identifying the top five labor-intensive crops, the months of heavy activity, and the geographic area of prime activity; 2) Summarize the agricultural employers’ needs in the State (i.e. are they predominantly hiring local or foreign workers, are they expressing that there is a scarcity in the agricultural workforce); and 3) Identifying any economic, natural, or other factors that are affecting agriculture in the State or any projected factors that will affect agriculture in the State
Current Narrative:
The top five labor-intensive crops are:
| Crop | Peak Season(s) | Geographical Area(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Sugarcane | Planting: July through October Harvest: mid-September through early January | Eastern Acadiana Parishes and River Parishes from Avoyelles to Lafourche |
| Sweet Potatoes | Planting: early April through mid-June Harvest: early September through late November | Northeastern parishes |
| Crawfish | Harvest: March through June, variable | South Central to Southwestern LA |
| Rice | Planting: mid-March through May 31th Harvest: late July through early October | South Central to Southwestern LA |
| Plant Nurseries | January through mid-November | Rapides and St. Tammany Parishes |
The general employment trend in rural Louisiana has been for workers to leave agricultural work for higher paying or less labor intensive jobs in other occupations. Additionally, while many workers enjoy agricultural work, very few can adapt to living on a seasonal income. As a result, agricultural employers have a difficult time finding reliable local workers. The H-2A temporary agricultural foreign worker program has become increasingly popular among Louisiana agricultural employers, following the national trend. Today, H-2A workers dominate the agricultural labor force in the state.
Louisiana H-2A statistics show an increase in the number of positions requested and certified by ETA, US DOL, Office of Labor Certification.
2016 – 8,301 H-2A positions certified
2017 – 8,875 H-2A positions certified
2018 – 10,079 H-2A positions certified
2019 – 10,816 H-2A positions certified
None of the employers expressed an interest in the Agricultural Recruitment System (ARS) beyond searching for workers locally through the HIRE system. The total number of temporary or seasonal workers requested through these job This job order activity is consistent with the growing trend for agricultural employers to seek H-2A workers. This indicates the level of demand for agricultural workers within the state.
Agricultural employers repeat four common challenges in obtaining a secure and stable workforce:
- Most workers lack interest in seasonal work.
- Most workers are not interested in farm work.
- An increasing number of workers do not have the stamina for farm work, especially in extreme climatic conditions.
- A lack of workers who will show up for work every day or on time when they do.
- A lack of reliable workers who will stay with the job more than a few weeks, sometimes abandoning the job without notice.