Tammy Meckley, Associate Director, Immigration Records and Identity Services Directorate for USCIS | https://www.dhswatchlist.com/
Tammy Meckley, Associate Director, Immigration Records and Identity Services Directorate for USCIS | https://www.dhswatchlist.com/
This represents an approval rate of 100%, which is higher than the nationwide average.
That year, the average approval rate for H-2A petitions across the U.S. stood at 98.8%, slightly higher than 2023's 98.4%.
Employers are classified under industries based on their reported operations and may be involved in multiple industries.
The H-2A visa program allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers for temporary or seasonal agricultural jobs when enough domestic workers are unavailable. Employers must demonstrate a short-term need and that hiring foreign workers will not negatively affect U.S. workers' wages or working conditions. These jobs must first be offered to U.S. workers, and both domestic and H-2A workers must receive at least the highest of the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) or other wage benchmarks.
The Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting industry led the H-2A petition approvals in the Central South Dakota News publication area during 2024, filing a total of 447 petitions (97.6% of all submissions) and receiving 447 approvals, resulting in an approval rate of 100%. The Public Administration industry followed, with eight petitions (1.7% of all submissions) and an approval rate of 100%.
The local employers with most temporary visa requests during 2024 included Gisi Pheasant Farms, LLC, which filed 39 petitions with an approval rate of 100%, Lodahl Farms with 32 petitions and an approval rate of 100%, and Jasen Albrecht, which filed 28 petitions with an approval rate of 100%.
Compared to 2023, Central South Dakota News publication area saw an 18.3% increase in the number of seasonal agricultural visas during 2024.
The United States admits around 1 million legal immigrants annually, most of whom receive permanent residence (green cards) through family sponsorship or employment-based visas. In 2023, about 1.2 million immigrants were granted green cards, a return to pre-pandemic levels. Temporary visa programs, such as the H-1B for highly skilled workers and H-2A for seasonal agricultural workers, also play a critical role in filling workforce needs.
Public opinion on immigration varies, with 46% of Americans favoring maintaining current legal immigration levels, according to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey. Additionally, 42% believe that highly skilled workers, such as scientists, doctors, and programmers, should be prioritized for legal immigration, compared to 25% who prioritize workers filling labor shortages and 19% who emphasize family sponsorship. Despite this, family sponsorship remains the most common path to permanent residency, accounting for 63% of green cards issued in 2023.
Due to manual data entry and the use of paper forms by applicants or petitioners, occasional discrepancies in employer names, tax IDs, locations, or other details may be found in the H-2A Employer Data Hub provided by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which is the data used in this article. Despite these potential issues, USCIS works to ensure accuracy.
| Rank | Industry | Total Petitions | % of All Submissions | % Approved | % Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 447 | 97.6% | 100% | 0% |
| 2 | Public Administration | 8 | 1.7% | 100% | 0% |
| 3 | Manufacturing | 3 | 0.7% | 100% | 0% |
| Company Name | Industry | Total Petitions | % Approved | % Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gisi Pheasant Farms, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 39 | 100% | 0% |
| Lodahl Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 32 | 100% | 0% |
| Jasen Albrecht | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 28 | 100% | 0% |
| Kirk Aughenbaugh Agriculture | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 25 | 100% | 0% |
| Jada Bulgin Harvesting | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 17 | 100% | 0% |
| Swenson Partnership | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 17 | 100% | 0% |
| Fulton Agent, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 11 | 100% | 0% |
| Sylte Bros, GP | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 10 | 100% | 0% |
| Jorgensen Land and Cattle | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 10 | 100% | 0% |
| Shepherd Harvesting | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 10 | 100% | 0% |
| Quiett Farms, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| Mundt Farm PTN | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| Mack and Karen Wyly | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Mid Dakota Vegetation | Public Administration | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| R and B Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| M and D Farms, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| AJB Partnership | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Cottonwood Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Grohs Farms Partnership | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Arnoldy Grain, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Edward Van Beek | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Andrew Canham | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Assman Cattle Company | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Cowan Equine | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Yackley Ranches | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Scott Pazour | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Dakota Agrow, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Cowan Ranch PTN | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Mccarty Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Qa, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Bart Randall | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Doug Kroeplin Farms, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| KH, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Preszler Farms, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Simonson Farm, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Harvey Tschetter | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Bradley J Mcneil | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Midway Agent, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| DCI Farms, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Pederson Honey Farms, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| J and N Haefner, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Brian Beyers | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Shafer Farms, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Lacompte Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Steffen Farms, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Colson Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Jerry Kaup | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Williams Farms, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Kopfmann Partnership | Manufacturing | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Charlie Korzan Custom Farming | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Calhoon Ranch | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Vanderpol Ranch, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Biggins Cattle Company, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| R and B Seed Company | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Kinkler Farm Partnership | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Mayclin Farms Partnership | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Reimann Ranch, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Shepherd Seed Company, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Remote Organics, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Bush Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Hardie Farms, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Rocking Diamond Livestock | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Brian and Morina Hauck | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Evergreen Farming, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Farmers Union | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Martin J Anderson | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Pompadour Hills Ranch, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Ahlemeier Farms, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| R and M Poeppel Farm, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Teveldal Custom Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Mitchell Peterson | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Wyatt Perry | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Schindler Land and Cattle | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| R and B Gravel | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Eagle Pass Ranch LP | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Jordan Reierson | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Troy Beckett | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| William Campbell | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Zach Pollock | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Patrick Taggart | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Bolton Ranch, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| TKO Farms, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Jay Eichstadt | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Wernerstruck, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Mccloud Ranch | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Brent Schilder | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Edgar Bros | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Vilhauer Leasing, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Vic Holsing Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Wesley Kalkman | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 3B Farms PTN | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| JBN Farm | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Wagner Farms Partnership | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 0 | NaN% | NaN% |
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