Farm Bureau

“California’s farmers and ranchers are at significant risk of bearing the brunt of any potential retaliatory actions resulting from the broad imposition of global tariffs,” said Shannon Douglass, president of the California Farm Bureau Federation.

The California Farm Bureau, which advocates for farmers and ranchers, and the influential United Farm Workers union have for years called for reforms that would strengthen the legal pipeline for importing a temporary seasonal workforce and also provide a pathway to legal residency for undocumented laborers already in the U.S.

Though billed as a compromise, the legislation was ultimately sidelined by concerns from the powerful American Farm Bureau Federation and a faction of Republican lawmakers over a provision they feared could expose H-2A employers to lawsuits by workers.

“Sometimes, it’s these kinds of widespread concerns that open the door for an opportunity to fix the issues that just truly haven’t been dealt with for many decades,” said Ryan Jacobsen, chief executive of the Fresno County Farm Bureau.

Shannon Douglass, the president of California’s Farm Bureau, noted in a statement that the state’s agriculture has been hurt by past trade wars.