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Sonderling Tours Rio Farms in South Texas, Discusses H-2A Wages With Growers

September 14, 2026 · USDepartmentofLabor · 0:01:48

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What happened

Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling visited South Texas and toured Rio Farms in Monte Alto with Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz, according to the NBC 23 News report carried by the Labor Department. The visit came amid continuing shortages of workers in the agriculture industry, the report said.

The tour centered on the H-2A visa program, which helps farms bring in temporary agricultural workers, and on efforts to support the agriculture industry. Sonderling said his department works closely with the Department of Agriculture to make wages more commensurate with the local area, using Bureau of Labor Statistics wage rates locally so growers pay those rates rather than one state wage, which he said may work in Dallas but not in the Rio Grande Valley, as he stated it.

The report said another issue discussed was how schooling could draw more young people into the industry as many agricultural workers age out. It noted Sonderling was named acting U.S. Labor Secretary by President Donald Trump in April and that his department oversees federal workplace laws including wages, safety, and worker benefits.

Why it matters

The Rio Farms stop shows the Labor Department’s approach to farm labor in practice: H-2A wages pegged to local data rather than a statewide figure, paired with a pitch to recruit younger workers into an aging agricultural workforce.

Sources: USDepartmentofLabor, “Secretary Keith Sonderling visits local farms in south Texas (NBC23)”, 2026-09-14 (official upload, embedded above; published 2026-09-14). Transcript via Supadata (private research store, paraphrased and attributed, not republished). All figures and characterizations as stated by the speakers.