Client: Cumberland Valley Nurseries, Inc.
Service: H-2A
Background
Cumberland Valley Nurseries, Inc., owned by the Pelham family, is a fruit tree nursery in McMinnville, Tennessee. They ship thousands of trees to orchards throughout the country every year. CVN was facing difficulties finding the labor force they needed and getting all the necessary work done during the season. Nick Pelham, CVN manager, says, "If we were going to stay in business, we had to have some help. The help wasn’t here to be found"
When the Pelhams began looking into getting workers through the H-2A program, their impression from other nurseries was that the process would be a nightmare. They were skeptical about getting started, but after Nick met with Kara Youngblood to learn more about the program, CVN began to work with Youngblood.
Legal Strategy
Youngblood assessed Cumberland Valley Nurseries’ business situation and labor needs. The legal team determined that CVN was eligible for the H-2A program and that participating in the program would be the best solution for their labor problem.
Youngblood helped CVN to apply for the program and continues to guide them through the processes and requirements. The team advises the nursery on how to remain in compliance with all H-2A rules and regulations and how to be prepared for potential audits. The firm handles all the paperwork so that the Pelham family can focus on running the nursery.
Result
Youngblood has worked with Cumberland Valley Nurseries to participate in the H-2A program for four years now. They have seven H-2A workers that come to work every season. Now that CVN is participating in the H-2A program, they have the workers they need to make sure that the product they are selling is the best that it can be. They are no longer falling behind, and they can more confidently sell their product at the end of the year.
Nick says, "I believe that the H-2A program is the only way the farming and agriculture industry is going to move forward. Local manual labor is a thing of the past. I know hardly anybody that is still in the nursery, agriculture, or farming business that does not use H-2A workers now."
Regarding his work with Youngblood, he says, "I don’t have any reason to look for help anywhere else. A lot of people hate the H-2A process, but with Youngblood, I’m not worried about it. Youngblood guides me through the process and handles all of the paperwork. And I can do what I love: grow trees, grow crops, and raise cattle."