Davis: Farmers need to understand effects of labor regs, immigration, shrinking worker pool on farm-to-table cycle

Managing farm workers has never been easy, but changes in regulations, immigration laws and a shrinking pool of eligible hires has increased the level of difficulty for farm managers, according to Brandon Davis, a nationally recognized labor attorney.

“The U.S. agricultural industry must adapt to serious labor supply shortages and regulatory enforcement changes that continue to impact the nation’s food supply chain,” Davis said. “Producers need a reliable and legal source of labor, and farmers must also understand how government agencies and unionized labor organizations impact the farm-to-table cycle.”

Davis said “the relationship between labor, transportation, safety and compliance have broad reach and directly impact the agri-business economy. Agricultural employers should learn about the current landscape and prepare for the changes that are ahead.”

Davis, a partner with the New Orleans-based with Phelps Dunbar, LLP, will be discussing these need-to-know factors May 24, during a bonus online session offered as part of the ninth annual Mid-South Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference in Memphis, Tennessee.

Those who register for the conference by May 22 can participate and earn two continuing legal education hours. Learn more and register for the conference here: https://bit.ly/3rSvzAd.

Labor and employment-based immigration has been the focus of Davis’s career. He represents employers and individuals in a variety of immigration matters including labor and employment compliance, visa petitions for guest laborers like agricultural workers, civil and criminal worksite enforcement defense and defense of employment-based claims alleging wage and hour violations or labor-union infractions.

Harrison Pittman, director of the National Agricultural Law Center, said Davis brings resources vital for those involved in agricultural law, business and production.

“Brandon is a great friend to the National Agricultural Law Center and a nationally recognized attorney in the areas of agricultural labor and immigration law, representing a wide range of agricultural operations. He’s an excellent resource, and we’re very fortunate he’s on board for our conference this year,” Pittman said.

The conference, scheduled for June 9 to 10 at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, is part of a long-term effort to provide relevant and timely agricultural and environmental legal research and information to attorneys, lenders, accountants, tax consultants, students and other agricultural professionals involved in the agriculture, food and environmental industries.

Other continuing education hours

The conference has been approved for six hours of CLE in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee including one hour of ethics. It has been approved for 7.2 total hours of CLE in Missouri, including 1.2 hours of ethics. The American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers has approved this conference for seven hours of CE.

For more information on the National Agricultural Law Center, visit https://nationalaglawcenter.org/ or follow @Nataglaw on Twitter.