[Episcopal News Service] Episcopal Farmworker Ministry, a ministry in the Diocese of East Carolina based in Dunn, is calling for aid to help serve H-2A farmworkers after the federal government reduced their wages this year. The average hourly wages for farmworkers who are in the United States seasonally under the H-2A visa program have been reduced by between $1 and $7 depending on the state. In North Carolina, the hourly wage rate dropped from $16.16 to $12.78. The wage reduction has made it so farmworkers cannot support themselves, let alone send money to their families, according to the Rev. Fred Clarkson, executive convener of Episcopal Farmworker Ministry and priest-in-charge of the Iglesia de la Sagrada Familia (Episcopal Church of the Holy Family), which operates the ministry. “These changes are causing so many problems for the farmworkers, who already live under tough conditions as is as they work behind the scenes to put food on our tables,” Clarkson told Episcopal News Service. “Making their lives even harder is, frankly, really appalling. …We endeavor to do the best we can to assist the farmworkers, but we can’t do it alone.” Since 1978, Episcopal Farmworker Ministry has served farmworkers who come to the region for six to nine months a year on U.S. government-issued H-2A visas. Seasonal workers and immigrants who live in the area year-round mostly work in fields harvesting sweet potatoes and other vegetables, fruit, Christmas trees or tobacco, or in turkey- or pork-processing plants. “At least 70% of the farmworkers we serve are thinking about not coming back next season because they can earn the same wages in Mexico without sacrificing having to be away from their families most of the year and being so isolated from the world,” Allison Herrarte, Episcopal Farmworkers Ministries’ administrative minister, told ENS. “Farmworkers come to the United States so they can support their families and give their children a good life. But these changes defeat the purpose of coming to work here in the first place.” Clarkson regularly communicates with staff at the Mexican consulate in Raleigh, North Carolina. He said consulate staff reported to him that 20% fewer Mexican citizens came to North Carolina this year to work under H-2A visas, and a steeper decline is anticipated for 2027. The increasing farmworker shortage is fueling labor expenses and leaving crops unharvested, which is driving up food price inflation, according to a May 19 farm sector income and finances report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other sources. “If you don’t think this change is relevant to you, just wait. When it catches up with us, this is going to be drastic for us as a country,” Clarkson said. Wage rates for H-2A workers were reduced after the U.S. Department of Labor in October 2025 restructured how minimum wages are calculated. The Episcopal Church’s longstanding support for farmworkers dates back to 1973, when General Convention adopted a resolution to back extending legal protection to agricultural workers. Several other resolutions supporting farmworkers have since passed. Last year, the church’s Office of Government Relations’ Episcopal Public Policy Network posted an action alert calling on Episcopalians to support the bipartisan Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2025. If enacted, it would streamline the H-2A application process, reform wage calculations to better reflect real-world conditions, invest in preserving and expanding farmworker housing and more. “Through General Convention resolutions and longstanding advocacy, The Episcopal Church has consistently supported the rights and dignity of immigrants and farmworkers, including access to fair compensation and safe working conditions,” Troy Collazo, a policy adviser with the Office of Government Relations, told ENS in an email. “As policymakers debate agricultural labor policy, we believe the well-being of workers and their families should remain a central consideration alongside the economic needs of farmers and rural communities.” Episcopal Farmworker Ministry offers English classes, mental health services, immigration services, economic development projects, creative outlets for children, services for pregnant women, new mattresses and bedding sets, clothing and a worship space. Staff and volunteers, most of whom are former farmworkers themselves or are related to farmworkers, sometimes provide transportation to nearby laundromats and convenience stores, or anywhere farmworkers request to go. They also help them open bank accounts so they can send money home without paying interest fees. Now staff and volunteers are collecting groceries and money to serve meals, nonperishable food, clothing and laundry supplies to farmworkers to help alleviate their financial strains. The ministry has established two separate Amazon wish lists for donors to shop online, one for food and another for clothing. Additionally, staff and volunteers are developing community gardens on site to provide fresh produce to the farmworkers year-round. They also have communicated with consultants to estimate the potential costs and logistics of establishing and running a commercial laundry facility for the farmworkers. “These are farmworkers’ biggest immediate needs,” Herrarte said. Addressing these needs is urgent, Herrarte said, because farmworkers “deserve to live comfortably and not be treated poorly.” For Episcopal Farmworker Ministry, prioritizing farmworkers’ well-being includes addressing their spiritual and emotional needs. No matter how exhausted they are or what their denomination is, many farmworkers fill the pews at Iglesia de la Sagrada Familia every Sunday for worship and community. They also sometimes volunteer in their spare time to serve fellow farmworkers. “If you meet the people we serve, you’ll see that they are such good, faithful people who embody so much of the goodness of the Gospel in terms of doing the best for their families and also for their communities,” Clarkson said. “Farmworkers really are the salt of the Earth.” -Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.
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