Announcement of NCGA Annual Meeting
NCGA IN-PERSON ANNUAL MEMBERS MEETING –
February 5, 2024 – RSVP REQUIRED
We are pleased to invite you to NCGA’s 36th annual member’s meeting on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, at the Gov. James E. Holshouser Building on the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, NC. The program will begin at 1:00pm and will conclude no later than 3:00. Topics for discussion will include:
Discussion H-2A regulation changes, lawsuit update, Q & A
Review of NCGA Board of Directors approved adjustments to worker fees and other policies
Collective Bargaining Agreement – Update and Changes
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission – Age Discrimination Complaint – Update
A federal political analysis and update on the landscape for H-2A reform in 2025
Open question and answer session
No food or beverages will be served. Please call Mary Jamerson at 910/245-2969 by Monday, February 3rd to confirm your attendance. Directions and a map to the Holshouser Building on the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, NC are below for your convenience.
SPECIAL THANK YOU TO
DAVID ZIMMERMAN OF SOUTHERN SHOWS, INC.
We want to acknowledge and give a special thank you to David Zimmerman, President of Southern Shows, Inc., for providing NCGA the Gov. James E. Holshouser Building at no cost during the Southern Farm Show in recognition and support of North Carolina’s outstanding farm families. The Southern Farm Show begins on February 5th and runs through February 7th. It will be a fantastic event, and we encourage you to come to the NC State Fairgrounds early and enjoy the Southern Farm Show!
Tobacco Growers Association of
NC Oyster Roast and Seafood Extravaganza
NCGA members who elect to attend the in person annual meeting at the NC State Fairgrounds on February 5th are invited to attend the TGANC’s Oyster Roast and Seafood Extravaganza that begins at 4:30pm in the Holshouser Building. Registration through TGANC is REQUIRED to attend.
2025 H-2A Minimum Hourly Wage Rate Is $16.16 per hour.
The hourly Adverse Effect Wage Rate H-2A program participants will be required to pay in NC for 2025 is $16.16 per hour. The U.S. Department of Labor published the new wage rates in the Federal Register on Monday, December 16, 2024, and went into effect immediately. This will be the base hourly wage for the entire state. It is important to continue to educate the companies that buy your products that you pay more and do more, and it costs you more, to comply with labor and immigration laws – that you are producing your crops in a legal and socially responsible way and that you need consideration and additional financial compensation for that reflected in the prices they pay you for your crops. After all, these companies reap a financial reward for the high-quality commodities that you deliver.
NCGA Woker Fee Increases
NCGA’s Board of Directors (“BOD”) completed their annual comprehensive end-of-year budget and financial health review in early November. Although COVID-19 era inflation-related cost increases have occurred in every facet of the administration and operation of NCGA and the H-2A program, the BOD elected not to increase the worker fees in the last 3 years, other than adjustments to the temporary and Christmas tree harvest worker fees, because they understand how tight margins are and wanted NCGA members to have every possible dollar available to them. The Board, in meeting their fiduciary responsibilities to ensure NCGA’s financial strength and stability going forward, determined that raising the fees could no longer wait.
Based on reports from non-NCGA farmers participating in the H-2A program, their total worker fees (excluding weekly payroll, housing, farm-based transportation) calculated on a per worker basis ranges from $1350 - $1550 per person and non-NCGA H-2A program users don’t enjoy all the “joint employer” services NCGA provides to the farmers. And the BOD feels it is important to remind all Members that NCGA is constantly engaged in advocacy at the national level to promote improvements to the H-2A program so our farmers can stay in business, earn a sustainable profit, and guarantee our national security by protecting our domestic food production and supply. This includes litigation, efforts to pass legislation in Congress, and regulatory relief; it costs a significant amount of money to participate in these initiatives.
The BOD wants every NCGA Member to know that NCGA, based on price and service, is still the best value in H-2A and that the leadership of the organization is strongly committed to never waste the financial resources of the organization and the farmers who are Members.
Thank you again for your membership and continued support of the North Carolina Growers Association.
Directions
NORTH CAROLINA STATE FAIRGROUNDS
1025 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh, NC 27607
The N.C. State Fairgrounds is easily accessible from the I-440 Beltline, Interstate 40, as well as from Blue Ridge Road, N.C. Highway 54 (Hillsborough Street) and now Edwards Mill Road (see directions below). Free parking is available on State Fair and Carter-Finley Football Stadium property for events scheduled at the Fairgrounds, except for recreational vehicles that park between the hours of midnight and 8:00 a.m.
•Spaces marked for handicap permits are conveniently located adjacent to each facility. •Cars occupying spaces designated for disabled visitors must display valid handicap permits, stickers or plates at all times.
From Greensboro, Durham, Chapel Hill, or RDU Airport I-40 East into Raleigh Exit Wade Avenue, Exit #289 First Exit Edwards Mill Road*
From Fayetteville, Lumberton, South Carolina I-95 North to I-40 West Exit Wade Avenue, Exit #289 First Exit Edwards Mill Road*
From Goldsboro, Kinston US 70 West to I-40 West Exit I-440 Inner Beltline to Exit #289 Wade Avenue First Exit Edwards Mill Road*
From Rocky Mount US 64 West to Raleigh Exit I-440 Outer Beltline Exit Wade Avenue, Exit #4-B Second Exit Edwards Mill Road*
From Wilmington, Jacksonville I-40 West to Raleigh Exit Wade Avenue, Exit #289 First Exit Edwards Mill Road*
From Wilson, Greenville US 264 West to 64 West to Raleigh I-440 Outer Beltline Exit Wade Avenue, Exit #4-B Second Exit Edwards Mill Road*
From Charlotte, Kannapolis, Salisbury I-85 North to I-40 East to Raleigh Exit Wade Avenue, Exit #289 First Exit Edwards Mill Road*
*From Edwards Mill Road, you will pass the Arena/Stadium Complex on the left. Proceed to the intersection of Edwards Mill and Trinity Road. Take a left at the stoplight onto Trinity Road. The State Fairgrounds Horse Complex and Gate 9 can be accessed from Trinity Road. Additional Gates can be accessed by turning right onto Youth Center Road or Blue Ridge Road, and then from Hillsborough Street.
From I-40/Wade Avenue, if you miss Edwards Mill Road, you can take the next exit, Blue Ridge Road. Take a right at top of ramp. The fairgrounds are located at the intersection of Blue Ridge and Trinity Road (second light from exit ramp). Hunt Horse Complex and Gate 9 are located off Trinity Road, Gates 10 and 11 from Blue Ridge Road, Gates 12, 1, and 2 are from Hillsborough Street, Gates 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are from Youth Center (connector road between Trinity and Hillsborough).