CRESTWOOD, Ky. — Businesses around the country are still struggling to find enough workers. Especially farmers, many of which are using the H-2A Visa Program to help fill employment gaps.

One farm that’s relied on the program for nearly 5 years is Rootbound Farm in Crestwood.

A first look inside the Rootbound barn and it’ll remind you of an assembly line. The team is quick—and they have to be in order to pack 500 CSA farm share boxes a week.

“CSA members sign up to get a weekly box of veggies from our farm almost every week throughout the year and today we are packing about 150 boxes that are heading out to families mostly in the Frankfort and Lexington area,” said Bree Pearsall, farmer at Rootbound Farm.

The farm delivers to families around the state, including Louisville and surrounding areas. 

Spectrum News 1 introduced you to Rootbound Farm back in May 2022, when they were at their peak season. Since then, the farm is now working without a few of their key employees.

“So we have a total of 16 folks that work throughout the year, 10 employees are H-2A and early this week 6 folks left to go back home to Mexico and 4 people are staying for another month,” Pearsall said.

The H-2A Visa Program helps American farmers fill employment gaps by hiring workers from other countries. One requirement of the program is that employment is temporary.

“70% of our staff is H-2A workers, so absolutely the flow of the day changes,” Pearsall said. “We have to reallocate daily responsibilities. Folks that may have been more on the packing team previously are now doing some harvest.”

Of the 10 H-2A workers Rootbound Farm employs, Pearsall says their schedules typically vary.

“Some people are here for a shorter period, even as short as like 5 months and then we have some folks that stay for a longer period, that maximum of 10 months,” Pearsall said.

After their commitment to the farm expires, the H2A workers return home and can reapply if they choose for a visa to come back and work for another season.

Although Rootbound Farm is down on employees a couple months out of the year, hearing that the labor on their farm is helping workers buy first homes and send their kids to college is ultimately worth it for Pearsall.

“Overtime you do get to know your workers like family and you get to know their goals as well,” Pearsall said. “The H-2A is a difficult program for their employees. They are away from their families, but we’ve come to hear from them and understand why they’re doing it, why it’s important to them.”

This is Rootbound Farm’s 5th season taking part in the H-2A Visa Program and has grown their employee base since then.