Georgia Farm Bureau News Alert - November 15, 2017

GFB News Alert page 2 of 11 AG LABOR FORUM PROVIDES KEY TRAINING FOR GA GROWERS Farmers who need access to labor for producing and harvesting their commodities were treated to a series of expert presentations during the 2017 Agricultural Labor Relations Forum held Nov. 7 and 8 at the UGA Tifton Campus. The event, hosted by Georgia Farm Bureau, the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association and several other statewide agricultural stakeholder groups, addressed wage and hour investigations, OSHA audits, the I-9 process and the H-2A program.

“We needed this conference to come together and understand all the issues we have on immigration,” said GFB President Gerald Long, who spoke during the Nov. 7 session. “There’s a lot of regulations. Immigration reform is a priority issue for Georgia Farm Bureau. At some point in time Congress is going to have to address this. Until that time, we’ve got to follow the requirements. It’s so easy to get out of compliance by not checking one box and doing one little thing that we’re supposed to do.”

On Nov. 8, Drew Echols from Jaemor Farms and Ellen Hendley from AgWorks gave a joint presentation on the H-2A process.

During Echols presentation, he discussed the basic things new H-2A employers should understand before they enter the program.

First were the basic timelines for required aspects of the H-2A program. For instance, plans to provide housing for H-2A workers have to be in place, the housing must be inspected and the farmer needs to plan how to manage payroll early in the process.

To view the presentation slides from all of the event’s presenters visit http://www.georgiaaglaborforum.com/presentations.html.

COMMENTS NEEDED BY NOV. 30 TO PREVENT FEDERAL ELD MANDATE A federally imposed mandate requiring Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) for long-haul livestock carriers will go into effect on Dec. 18. The ELD enforcement date and existing hours of service regulations pose significant consequences for the livestock industry. To prevent this requirement, an application for exemption has been presented to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Comments will be needed to successfully obtain this exemption. Please voice your concerns before the Nov. 30 deadline by visiting http://gfb.ag/17DOTcomments.

Current federal law limits on-duty time to 14 hours, with a maximum drive time of 11 consecutive hours. The driver must then rest for 10 consecutive hours before returning to duty.

Most trips made by Georgia livestock haulers will not have enough drive time to accommodate hauling live animals across the country.

Livestock is defined as poultry, aquaculture and insect producers, processors and transporters.

The welfare and safety of the animals in transit, together with the safety of other drivers, are the industry's top priorities.

Granting a waiver will allow for long-standing livestock transportation safety and training programs to be adjusted and provide the necessary time for training on the use of ELDs.