Sep 3, 2025USDA discontinues use of ‘dated’ labor survey
The USDA’s National Agriculture Statistics Network (NASS) has discontinued a method of measuring farm wages dating to the 19th century.
The Agricultural Labor Survey (FLS) has been rendered obsolete, NASS said in a Sept. 3 notice on the Federal Register, NASS said recent improvements to the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program “make OEWS the superior barometer for measuring farm wages.”
In late August, a federal court vacated the Labor Department’s 2023 Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) Methodology rule, which had incorporated OEWS data to set wages for non-range agricultural occupations. In response, DOL said it would revert to a 2010 regulation that defaulted to the FLS for establishing wage rates.
On Aug. 29, USDA filed a notice in the Federal Register of its intent to discontinue the FLS, saying it was outdated and not designed to reflect the current state of agriculture or labor.
The FLS collected information from farmers and did not capture information from farm labor contractors — data that is instead collected by OEWS, USDA said. The agency said that, given the shortage of domestic labor and the complex process to navigate visa programs for foreign workers, more and more farmers rely on farm labor contractors to supply their workforce.
Industry groups argued the DOL’s reliance on FLS results allowed wages for foreign farmworkers under the H-2A guest worker program to outpace those for domestic food producers.
The Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Association (GFVGA) applauded USDA’s decision.
“We have worked for years to gain a better understanding of the AEWR process that has resulted in massive increases, over 30% in three years for Georgia growers, but the process and resulting increases have remained a frustrating mystery,” Chris Butts, GFVGA executive vice president, said in a news release. “The AEWR increases in Georgia have pushed growers to the brink and have rendered the H-2A program unsustainable. We are grateful to Secretary Rollins and her team at USDA for demonstrating the leadership to bring an end to these unfair wages and to help restore a level playing field for our rural agricultural communities.”
The National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE) also welcomed the announcement.
“For years, federal regulators forced America’s farm and ranch families to pay an escalating, imaginary wage,” said Michael Marsh, NCAE president and CEO. “For years, NCAE and our members fought to have the Department put an end to misusing the FLS as a wage-setting mechanism for H-2A workers.”
