February 2026 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 37 CONSIDER THIS one year, for a maximum stay of three years. If an H-2A worker stays for three years, they must leave the United States for a consecutive 60 day period before returning as an H-2A nonimmigrant laborer. The Department of Labor (DOL) oversees the H-2A program to ensure compliance with labor laws. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services arbitrates the petitions of workers, and the Department of State issues the visas to the workers at the consulates in their home countries. The DOL lists the application process as three steps – filing a job order, filling out an application, and recruiting and completing the certification process. However, completing the process can be a little more complicated than that. Companies like Head Honchos exist to streamline the process, navigate the system and recruit reliable workers through offices on the ground in foreign countries. “We act as a liaison or an agent on behalf of the employer that helps these farmers or ranchers to find legal seasonal labor who come and work as a guest worker for the ranchers peak season, and then they go home,” Miller explains. “We handle every last detail of the process. “While there are many producers who would rather have a worker year-round, there are also producers who don’t need year-round help. If you think about the benefits of having a laser-focused labor situation where you can bring in workers to work just for your season, with a specified start time and end time, which is part The labor landscape has evolved drastically in the last five years, leaving employers to revamp how they are hiring and maintaining employees. CONTINUED ON PAGE 38 PERSPECTIVES
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