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Michael Haedicke is an associate professor of sociology and the 2025-2027 Dr. Bernard Lown Honors College Teaching Professor at the University of Maine. This column reflects his views and expertise and does not speak on behalf of the University of Maine. He is also a member of the Maine chapter of the national Scholars Strategy Network, which brings together scholars across the country to address public challenges and their policy implications.
Summer is nearly here and shoppers will soon see fresh, Maine-grown produce at stores and farmers markets. But this year, some of the seasonal farm workers who harvest that produce may be paid less for the essential work they provide.
This statement might surprise anyone who follows agricultural policy in Maine. After all, Maine’s Legislature voted last year to guarantee the state minimum wage for all farm employees. So why might some farmworkers see a pay cut?
The answer has to do with changes to the federal H-2A visa program, which allows foreign workers to work in seasonal agricultural jobs in the United States. These H2-A workers make up an increasing share of the agricultural workforce. Nationally, the number of H2-A visas issued by the federal government has climbed from about 75,000 in 2011 to nearly 400,000 in 2025.
A key part of the H-2A program is the Adverse Effect Wage Rate, or AEWR. For each state, the U.S. Department of Labor sets a minimum hourly wage for H-2A visa workers, using federal occupational survey data. According to law, workers on H-2A visas cannot be paid less than the AEWR for the state in which they are employed.
The AEWR aims to protect the wages of U.S. citizen and permanent resident workers from the “adverse effect” that could result from low H-2A pay. After all, if agricultural employers could hire H-2A workers for less, citizens and permanent residents employed on farms might soon be asked to accept the same wages or go without a job.
For most of 2025, the AEWR for H-2A workers in Maine was $18.83, well above the current state minimum wage of $15.10. For 2026, the baseline AEWR for most H-2A workers in Maine will be $14.81. By law, these workers cannot be paid less than the state minimum wage, but this still works out to a potential pay cut of up to $3.73 per hour.
Employment rates for H-2A workers are lower in Maine than in many other states, but they are still significant. In 2024, for example, the 1,416 H2-A workers employed in Maine made up over a tenth of the state’s entire agricultural workforce. These workers raked blueberries, picked apples, dug potatoes and made wreaths throughout the state.
Many farms operate on narrow profit margins and struggle to hire the workers they need. In Maine and elsewhere, farmers are also finding that stepped-up immigration enforcement has caused local labor shortages to become worse. Some farmers may welcome changes that make hiring H-2A workers more affordable.
From the perspective of workers, though, these changes to the AEWR are problematic. Farm work is physically intense and dangerous. Workers are exposed to the elements, to machinery, and to agricultural chemicals. On average, farm workers also have lower pay than similar workers outside of agriculture. The fact that some workers may receive even less for the same difficult, essential work will likely strike many people as unjust.
These changes to the H-2A program may also affect citizens and permanent residents in agricultural and farm-adjacent jobs. Although the impacts in Maine may be limited by the relatively small number of H-2A workers in the state, research demonstrates that reducing the AEWR will probably create downward pressure on wages for non-visa seasonal farm workers, as well. It may also lead to fewer jobs if employers turn to H-2A workers instead of local employees.
Because of these concerns, farmworker advocacy groups are challenging the changes to the H-2A program. In one pending lawsuit, for instance, the United Farmworkers of America has argued that the changes to the AEWR are illegal because they violate the government’s responsibility to ensure that visa programs, such as the H-2A program, do not harm the livelihoods of similarly employed U.S. workers.
This lawsuit will play out over the coming months. In the meantime, it will also be important for advocates and concerned consumers in Maine to pay attention to how the new wage rate is impacting the pay of H-2A and other agricultural workers in the fields. The signs indicate that changes are occurring.
For example, the U.S. Department of Labor’s current listings for Maine-based H-2A positions often offer wages that are lower than the 2025 wage rate. Because the new H-2A rules now allow employers to deduct the cost of housing that they provide to H-2A workers as well, the take-home pay of these employees may be even less.
We should all enjoy Maine’s agricultural bounty this growing season. We are lucky to live in a state with such rich and diverse agriculture. But we must also remember the lives and livelihoods of the workers who bring this produce to us and reflect on what fairness demands that we provide these workers in return.
