By Ramie Parsons
U of A System Division of Agriculture
March 9, 2026
Audry Thompson, staff attorney at the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law. (Courtesy photo)
Fast Facts
• Webinar provides overview of H-2A temporary agricultural worker program
• Program will address AEWR, application process, and employer compliance requirements
• Free registration available online
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The National Agricultural Law Center will host an upcoming webinar, “Homing in on H-2A: An Overview of the Temporary Agricultural Worker Program,” on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, from 12:00–1:00 p.m. Eastern / 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Central.
Authorized by the Immigration and Nationality Act, the H-2A temporary agricultural worker program allows qualified agricultural employers who lack sufficient domestic labor to petition the federal government for permission to bring nonimmigrant foreign workers into the United States for temporary or seasonal agricultural employment. According to recent data from the United States Department of Agriculture, “the number of H-2A positions requested and approved has increased more than sevenfold in the past 19 years, from just over 48,000 positions certified in fiscal year 2005 to around 385,000 in FY 2024,” up from 370,000 in FY 2022.
This webinar will provide an overview of the major provisions of the H-2A program, including a discussion of the adverse effect wage rate (AEWR) and its calculation and application to U.S. employees. The program will also describe the requirements, processes, and legal issues related to obtaining certification and employing H-2A workers.
The program will be presented by Audry Thompson, staff attorney at the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law. Thompson serves as program director of the Understanding Agricultural Law educational series, supervises law students in the Rural Economic Development Clinic, and authors the Agricultural Law Weekly Review. Her research focuses on agricultural labor issues, and she currently serves as lead CASL attorney for AgWorks, an agricultural labor-focused educational and consulting grant project between CASL, Penn State Extension, and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry.
“H-2A plays a critical role in meeting labor needs across the agricultural sector, but it is also one of the most highly regulated employment programs affecting producers,” Thompson said. “This webinar will help participants better understand how the program operates and what employers must consider when navigating the process.”
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