Growers turn to contracting agencies as they seek stable farm labor
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, growers are taking the third-party route when hiring farm labor. The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages shows that agricultural-support industries, such as farm labor contracting, have experienced a gradual increase since 2010, rising from 1.13 million in 2013 to 1.17 million in 2023.
Joe Martinez, CEO of the farm labor contractor CIERTO, says choosing a hiring agency makes sense in the produce industry because it "saves growers major headaches along the way, optimizes returns, and leads to labor retention."
The executive says the current industry climate has played a big role in driving this shift to ensure a more stable labor force. Inflation and costs are up, Martinez says, and the current immigration environment has hit a lot of agricultural operations. “It’s just a natural evolution where we’re going to need a much more professionalized workforce and a modern approach,” he says.
Farm labor contracting agencies—an expanding market
CIERTO is only one of a growing list of recruiting and contracting agencies, which includes names such as Hire Resolve US, AgriAssociates, and AG HeadHunters. The company was founded in 2014, and it says it alleviates the burden of logistics and potential issues from the shoulders of workers and growers by handling the migrant hiring and recruitment process ethically and efficiently.
Martinez says growers can be a little skeptical about his past position as the director of the United Farm Workers' Mexico program back in the 2010s. However, he says that job was what prepared him for his current position, teaching him how to navigate and work the ebbs and flows of farm labor recruiting—a rather difficult task. For example, the job requires him to have a thorough understanding of the dynamic migration patterns from Mexico, Central, and South America, as well as what growers are looking for to stabilize their workforce. On top of that, Martinez needs to keep a pulse on potential program reforms for workers and find ways to improve due diligence mechanisms to support employers and retailers in their supply chains.
“A lot of the narrative around recruitment is always that it’s horrible, it’s egregious, it’s an informal process, or that it’s an opaque industry that doesn’t really, necessarily operate clearly,” Martinez says. “We built this to create a solution.”
CIERTO states that it only hires highly qualified workers and handles their H-2A and H-2B visa applications. The company says it also covers growers' costs upfront and provides training. This business model streamlines the process and takes it out of the hands of growers, which is why Martinez believes recruiting agencies will continue to pop up and gain traction across American farms.
The importance of a stable workforce
During its time in office, the Trump Administration has adopted a business-forward approach, characterized by its reluctance to intervene in how businesses operate. Martinez says this is what has pushed the private sector to develop its own compliance and due diligence mechanisms: "That gives an opportunity for organizations such as myself, that have a B2B solution, to work more effectively,” the executive says.
CIERTO just became the first recruiter in the United States to be certified under the International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS), which validates the company's processes are abuse-free, transparent, and aligned with ILO's General Principles and Guidelines for Fair Recruitment. Since it operates in rural Mexico, Martinez said it’s important to have as many eyes as possible on the organization, and believes that this is a must for the industry.
Long-term, employers who have opted for CIERTO's services have benefited, Martinez says. He explains that trained, knowledgeable employees have been proven to work more efficiently, and demonstrating compliance across the supply chain is priceless for a growing producer.
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