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Tommy Grisafi is the main host and content creator for Ag Bull Media.
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Field Force, Maxi Field: Farm Labor, Solved With H-2A
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We talk with Maxie Field of Field Force about turning H‑2A from a mystery into a repeatable system that keeps farms staffed for peak seasons. From recruitment proof and wage rules to housing inspections and sugar beet realities, we share a clear path from need to crew.
• why H‑2A demand has surged and who qualifies
• proving domestic recruitment before filing
• realistic timelines from job order to visa
• sugar beet harvest pressure and 24/7 shifts
• housing, transport, and workers’ comp requirements
• wage rules by state and skill level basics
• handling consulate interviews and trucking scrutiny
• state differences in housing inspections
• keeping return workers and building stability
• how Field Force supports farms beyond paperwork
Contact at fieldforcend.com 701-425-9597
Welcome back, everyone. Tom Grassofi, AgBO Media, AgBO Trading. Well, we have something special today. So often I hear with clients they're always talking about labor. And up in North Dakota, in Minnesota, or anywhere in America where you need a lot of workers, you talk about getting people from overseas and doing it legally. So I stumbled upon a young lady who does this for a living, and it it started because there was a need, and she's going to tell you all about that. So we will bring in young Maxie Field. She's up in beautiful Grand Forks. It looks sunny up there. Maxie, welcome to the show.
SPEAKER_01Thanks for having me. It is sunny today.
SPEAKER_00It is sunny. I can see it. Well, it's probably zero degrees up there and sunny. I think I stumbled upon your website on Facebook and it made sense because working up in North Dakota, I have so many clients who are really uh need labor during sugar beet harvest. So let's start with a little bit about yourself. But once we do that, then we'll get into. I don't think other farmers, like a lot of people are going to listen to this from the Midwest. I don't think they realize how intense sugar beet harvest is, but we'll get to that first. Tell us about yourself and how you ended up in Grand Forks and a little about yourself. This wasn't your plan, right?
SPEAKER_01No, it wasn't the original plan. Nope. So I'm Maxie Field. It helps having Field for a last name. So that's where Fields. That's a kicker. Yeah, you don't have to.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So I'm a nurse by background, actually. And I had worked in Bismarck Mandan, more western North Dakota, before moving back in my home area of Grand Forks. My husband and his brother farm around here, my dad and brother farm. And they have utilized foreign labor for 10 years. I think on my dad and brother's own farm, and then my husband's farm. They've used utilized the foreign labor for over 15 years, so quite a long time, but primarily through the H2A program. And that's what I do at Field Force. And why I started Field Force is just the need that farmers need help in navigating the process, getting approved to get the foreign workers over here. So that's what we do at Field Force, help producers, stay staff, stay compliant, and protect their operation. So it's been fun to work with farms. I've seen it firsthand, farms that have been able to sustain and grow because of the program. So it really helps with those seasonal labor needs.
Why Farms Turn To H-2A
SPEAKER_00And why do I feel like your husband was trying, your husband and your brother-in-law were trying to get help, trying to get help, trying to get help, and you're like, hell with it, I'll just I'll just do it myself. And that's how it started, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, Scott was actually the one a few years ago. He was like, I really think you know the H2A program from from what they've experienced has grown. And it has in 2012, I think it was about 85,000 certified job or positions in the US. And last year in 2025, there was over 400,000 certified positions. So it's it has really grown. And you know, it has to be peak season. So those harvest needs, planting, cattle guys, you know, cabbing season, that's you know, an example of their kind of peak season. So it's farms, ranches. I have a client that is a custom harvester that's going to be utilizing it for the first time this year. So it's exciting to see it grow. Since I grew up on a farm, I know what the farms face in their labor needs. And it's fun to help farms when they're utilizing the program. Just a different kind of, you know, there's all the rules and regulations that are set with the program, but it's fun to help the farms work through things that you know we've experienced on our own farms. And what do you do for this? Or we had this come up. So really troubleshooting those different things that come up throughout the year and while they're filing.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. And so you started this like every company. Uh Maxie, it must have started small, right? Like, hey, I'm gonna do this for you, Scott. I'm gonna do it for my family. And then word of mouth, like it's a real company now, and now you this is what you do, right?
SPEAKER_01Yes, definitely. Word of mouth is the biggest thing. And a lot of farms, ranches that are switching over to me. It's a little bit of pressure when someone switches over that's used a different agent before, but I've gotten positive feedback because I, you know, I I get it and I make myself available to the farms. So I might not have been in a tractor doing actual farm work. I mean, my dad put me in a tractor before once. I don't know, maybe that was a sign.
SPEAKER_00Was it punishment or for fun, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, right. And you know, if it weren't for the H2A program, I probably would be in a tractor all you know spring through through harvest.
SPEAKER_00So and let's just start from the beginning. So I have your website here, and let's just say someone goes to fieldforce.com, right? And what did you want to talk about on your website? I was I never thought about the cattle part. You know, I think of you guys up there with sugar beets.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_00Someone comes across your website, what are they saying? They got to be saying, how do we start, right? How does this work?
Starting Field Force And Early Growth
SPEAKER_01Yes. If you're wondering how to start, there's the contact section there that that's my personal cell phone. If anyone wants to reach me, they can email and just explore the site. And then I would say the timeline is very helpful given that there's different rules from when you can start filing. So if someone needs someone for bead harvest, for example, they would put in the date, maybe you want they the need is for September 1st. Then the timeline will show you when you need to, you know, start filing, which is what I do for the farms is file the paperwork. So there's some things that need to be in place before we start filing, especially for first-time users of the program. So the timeline is helpful just to kind of get an idea of okay, I'm thinking about using it. This is when you know our peak season starts when I need the help. And then it goes from there with a timeline. And uh oh, sorry, go ahead.
SPEAKER_00No, no, I just I just think most people's biggest hiccup would they just be scared to get started, right?
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes. I would say it's scary for people when they they're like, I I think I need to use it, but I'm not sure. You know, a lot of times there's like a dad that wants to retire, the son might be taking over, they need some help, but where do you bridge that gap with the labor? And you you have to prove and show that you are unable to hire domestic workers for the the position.
SPEAKER_00So I did I didn't know that.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_00How how how do you prove that? That's interesting.
SPEAKER_01So, North Dakota, for example, once you file the job, they will post the job on job service that goes through them so that people can hire or apply online. And then some farms, you know, have their own sites that they advertise to get help for. So you have to show that you are unable to hire a domestic worker and the farms, the operators, I have to submit a recruitment report for them. So if people ever say, oh, the HUA program is replacing, you know, US labor or domestic labor, it's not the farms have to show that they were unable to hire any domestic workers. And I think I saw so last year, there was about 415,000 certified positions. So all those positions would have been posted for anyone in the US to apply. And out of that 450,000, only 182 domestic applications were received. So I think I did the the math, it was like a 0.04%.
SPEAKER_00So that's kind of a that explains it right there, Maxie. Yes. So you say, okay, we're we someone says I need three people, and you're like, all right, we're gonna post this on Indeed or these other websites. And if you don't get qualified people, you're like, well, we tried. It's literally that simple.
SPEAKER_01Yes, and most of states are different from where they post, but a lot of times it goes right through the state that the operation is in for the job posting, on top of what the farm does themselves for the job posting.
SPEAKER_00That's interesting. I did not know that. Let's talk a little bit about your area. You're up in Grand Forks, North Dakota. People are you're famous for hockey, obviously. But I don't think people realize how intense the sugar beet harvest is. Can you talk about that? Because you're in that business and your website here. Oh, I just missed the picture, but the picture of the sugar beet just went by. I would imagine a lot of people watching, if they had to pick in a picture what a sugar beet looks like, they wouldn't even know. That's how I think so few people actually really there it is, right there. There's your sugar beet. That's a little one compared to how big they can get that one of those hit you in the head. Your light's out. You'll be seeing the nurse. Yes, yep. Explain how intense sugar beet harvest is. Sure.
How To Get Started And Timeline
SPEAKER_01For me or my husband at home or in the field. No. Yeah, a lot of people think of beet as like the red, the red beet, but the sugar beets, it's a very intense harvest. Very, I mean, all crops are weather dependent for harvest, but beets are specific, you know, if there's a frost, if it's too warm, because once they're out of the ground and in the piles, you want that don't want them to spoil. So oftentimes if it goes smooth, it's a 24-7 harvest that the workers are are working 24-7. That's the goal. No shutdowns, right? So lots of trucks on the road, very temp-dependent, weather dependent. Very dangerous.
SPEAKER_00I don't know if people realize that how dangerous it is.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. You know, over the years, the the beat carts have been helpful. So the trucks, a lot of people have the beat cart, so the beat lifter fills a beat cart, and the truck isn't driving uh right next to the tractor getting filled. And I think that has helped with a lot of costs associated with you know repairs and things that can happen with that time.
SPEAKER_00So and then harvest starts. Sorry to interrupt. When harvest starts, I don't think people realize you all work 24-7. I mean, you'll go weeks without stopping on a two-shift cycle, right?
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes. Yep, 24-7. You hope. Hopefully, I'm saying this right for two weeks. I think up here a lot of people remember 2019. That was like the world's longest harvest year, it felt like it would snow and rain and get too hot. I think that was the first year I moved here. So yeah, it's very labor intensive. So my husband and brother-in-law, they utilize a program for you know, spring with planting through harvest, and then they get additional workers for like beet harvest. And a lot of farms do that around here.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's wild. And it goes, what about uh I think one thing that'd be important to talk about that you have to have certain things. Uh, what are all the things you have to get ready for the folks? You know, maybe they're coming from South Africa, but travel arrangements, living, a place to live, go through all that.
SPEAKER_01Yes. So there's different requirements of the program, and the farms have to provide housing for the workers and transportation, which includes their inbound and outbound transport, which there's different, you know, detailed rules that, but the transportation and the housing is approved housing. So it has to be inspected each season to be approved for the worker to stay there. I have operation in Wisconsin, for example, that I'm working with, and then in North Dakota. So each state can kind of have their own requirements as far as the housing inspection. They have the farms have to have active workers' comp policy should something happen. So those are kind of the main items for the requirements for the farms.
SPEAKER_00Pretty wild. Currently, you're doing this for people in two states, right, Maxie?
SPEAKER_01Three states. Three states. Yes, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. But where else do they do this real bigly, as President Trump would say? Texas, California has to be massive, right?
SPEAKER_01Yes, I I think Florida is one of the main states. There's Oregon, Washington, they're big utilizers of the H2A program with all the orchards. As far as countries, there's like a list of countries that the workers can come from. Mexico is the main one. That's on the top of the list for the workers that come in. Around here, uh, most farms use workers from South Africa, Brazil, and Mexico.
SPEAKER_00And what how long have you been doing this?
SPEAKER_01So I started in 2025, but I feel like I've been a part of it or been doing it not paperwork-wise, but just all the communication between Scott, my husband, all of our friends use it, my own family. So I feel like I've been doing it longer than I've actually been doing it.
Proving Domestic Recruitment Efforts
SPEAKER_00But putting a sign on the door and saying we're open for business, like your website, this is newer, right? Yes. I think you posted something on Facebook or Scott did or something. And I said, you know what? A female-owned business that is helping a need of a farmer from a farmer's wife who came from a farming family. This makes sense, and this would make for a great podcast and a great story. I I would say there are tens of thousands of farmers who want to do this and they just don't know how or where to start or where to go or anything else. Would you you think that's true?
SPEAKER_01Yes, I think that's true. I was recently at the KMOT AGE expo in my knot, and so many people came by the booth that were like, we want to use it, but we're not sure. They have a lot of questions. And I would just encourage people if they're thinking about it, reach out to me. I would be happy to talk through it. And then I've had Scott has talked to a lot of people about it. I mean, throughout their years of utilizing the program, but he's such a great resource. I have so many great contacts that utilize the program that I could also put them in contact with if they have any further questions or just want to hear farmer to farmer how it works.
SPEAKER_00Do you give Scott like a finder's fee? No, no. You don't give your husband a finder's fee. He's gonna you said, What if we mess this podcast up? I said, We're not editing it, we're hitting play. I don't think a lot of people realize that. I think people are like, Oh, yeah, that's good. You added it. I'm like, no, we just hit play and go.
SPEAKER_01Well, yeah, I thought you would be able to edit it in case like too much work.
SPEAKER_00But we'll have to edit out the part where Scott should get his finder's fee for sure.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you'll have to take that out.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and be like, no, no, that that wasn't in there. That wasn't in there. All right, let's go over the website. So you you start doing this, you get more into it. Last year you build a website. Uh it looks like you went to GoDaddy, which is a great place to go. You have a cool last name for this, Field Force, right? And the website is fieldforcen.com. Now, one thing we have to remember as we're recording this podcast, Maxi, is that some people are listening to it on Apple and Spotify. So if you're out there in podcast land, thanks for uh listening. Now, some people are going to maybe see this on TikTok. And if you'd like to be my friend on TikTok, look at I'm such a loser. I have a TikTok counter back there. Like I need friends. How many do I have? Oh, that's what that is. 2520. Yeah. So maybe we'll pick up a couple more.
SPEAKER_01Well, I just started Field Force and D specific TikTok that I uploaded a video to that is from 1987 of my dad combining. I was in the car seat, so that's my that's my first post.
SPEAKER_00Okay, well, we can help you with that. I will say this, Banksy, that I've met some really cool people on TikTok. And I mean, there's some toolboxes too, but you can you can go to local bar in Grand Forks and most people. We can go to Buxton and see Curtis or something if we wanted to see someone like that. But there's some really great people. And then when yourself, like if you go to a meetup or you go to I kind of think in Grand Forks, you would go to the oh up there, the big where they have all the conventions, the potatoes. The Larith Center. Yeah. What's it called?
SPEAKER_01The Lareth Center.
Inside Sugar Beet Harvest Demands
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and you start to meet these people, but if you go to a national convention, like if you go to you go to Commodity Classic, you start meeting people you've known for five years, 10 years, 15 years on X or Twitter, and then you actually meet them and it and it's fun. Most of them are really great people. It's not often I actually meet one of these people, and I'm like, man, that is not what I was thinking. They're usually really cool people. But I promise you, if you put your content on TikTok, it will open you up to a world you couldn't believe. Let me ask you this before we go making you famous. Can you handle a bunch more business? Yes. Good answer. That'd be horrible if you're like, no, we're full, but this was really fun doing this on a sunny day in Grandports.
SPEAKER_01Yes, I had a goal when I first started, and I've met that. So have to go beyond the goal. I actually think Scott had said when he first met you, he said he had listened to you for a long time and knew your voice. And I think a group of them were out to eat, and he said, There's this guy behind me. And I thought, that's Tommy Grassofi. Is that is that accurate?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we were. I I barely remember it, but I was drinking. We those boys, Curtis and Scott, were downtown and they were in Chicago for the the Farm Journal annual meeting. And I used to be on a show with my friends at the Lynn Group. And the Lynn Group is uh the primary place your husband does a lot of business with. He also is a commodity broker, besides being a farmer. And Gordy Lynn had this thing called like it's like a squawk service. And so Gordy Lynn let me be on this service, and that's actually, believe it or not, how I got in the media was like, Gordy Lynn let me be on this, it's called Futures Line, and they still have it to this day. And your husband turned around and asked me my name, and I was like, Yeah. And I kind of forgot about the story. And then they said, You remember that time in Chicago we went up to you? And I I kind of didn't remember, but we were downtown in what they call Viagra Triangle in Chicago. Okay.
SPEAKER_01I haven't heard of that one, but I extreme it.
SPEAKER_00Uh it's where all the steak restaurants are, and all the uh there's a lot of people in their 50s and 60s who are single who just go there every night for dinner. And there's some of us married guys too, but yeah, so it's called Viagra Tran Triangle. I think we're at Gibson's and I I saw those guys. That's funny. Yeah, media do some interesting things. And for a business like yours, it doesn't matter if you're in Grand Forks or if you're in Texas or if uh you're a few other places, but when we get off the air, I want to tell you a few places where I think your video will do really well, a few people I'm associated with. And I think the uh best thing we could do to promote your business is say some really cool little one-liners, because we're then going to run this podcast through AI, and it's gonna like we're actually pre planning this. Say something you want someone to know about your business. All of a sudden be like, oh, here's the short. And that's how we actually use AI to make shorts. And those shorts, you know, everyone, they have the attention span of a you know, five year old, and they're just going through their phone and TikTok or Instagram or any of those things. And they're like, I found this company. But in all seriousness, when you think about your company, tell me, let's go over the top one, two, three things people should know about uh Field Force and Maxy Field.
SPEAKER_01Sure. So I think the first is that I didn't know there's going to be a test.
SPEAKER_00You're like, I didn't know there's going to be a test.
SPEAKER_01I didn't know there was going to be a test. All right. This is pass fail. Let's go. Sure. So first and foremost, I'm available for my farms. My current clients, if they need something, if they have a question, not sure what to do, they pick up their phone and call my cell phone. They text me. So I'm available to my clients, and that is important to me and the service that I offer. And then second, I would say trust the process. If people have been using it and maybe their workers haven't worked out or haven't been a good fit or they're scared to use it, just trust the process and you know take on some feedback that field force from our own experience that they can take on. And then the third thing, we've talked about it early, but this is legal, legal, seasonal labor. So it doesn't feel a full-time need. It's legal seasonal labor when you've been unable to find the domestic workers. And we help the farms navigate the paperwork to get the workers here.
SPEAKER_00And let's take it from so those are three. I think you did well. We'll give you pass fail, you pass for sure. Okay. So someone listening this, part of the a client, or I'm gonna put this out in public domain and then we're gonna rip it for shorts. They go to Field Force ND is the website, right? I'll pop pop that right here. Fieldforce nd.com. And they go to it. What would like the process be start to finish? I mean, do people think like, hey, I'm going to it? I need someone in two weeks, and you're like, that's not how this works. Talk about that a little bit.
SPEAKER_01Sure.
SPEAKER_00Realistic expectations.
Housing, Transport, And Compliance
SPEAKER_01So the earliest that I can file a job order is 75 days before the the date of need. So it's 75 days, 75 to 60 days before their start date. So I always tell people to keep that in mind if they're thinking about it. And then they would fill out an application for Field Force. And if they've used the program before, I actually put as much information and make it as easy as possible as I can for them if they're switching over. For brand new clients, they usually have to fill everything in. So you do the application, there's a couple items that need to be signed to get started, but it goes fairly quick. People can file an emergency application, which is less than seven or sorry, 45 days before the start date. So if people haven't used the program before and they're like, oh my gosh, what am I gonna do for you know springs work? They can reach out and you know, we could potentially file an emergency petition. So it goes through a few different stages, and that's with the Department of Labor. You file the job order, and that includes information like the workers' job duties, start and end dates, their pay pay rate, which that's important. We didn't talk about, but it varies from state.
SPEAKER_00Are we out of time? No, we have plenty of time. That's okay. We could do another one that talks about the hours long. Let's keep talking about that real quick because it's important to you.
SPEAKER_01Sure. So each state has the minimum hourly rate for the workers, and that counts into, and this is fairly recent. It count it accounts for housing per hour. So each state has where you take out like a certain dollar amount per hour, and then that's the H2A wage, and it's on two different skill levels based on the job, not the worker's experience. So all that gets filed with the job order. There's a lot of details in there. Then once the state approves or the Department of Labor approves that job order, then it goes on to the next step of getting that job certified. Once that job is certified and included in that is like your recruitment report, where you prove that you're unable to find domestic labor, then we can file the petition. And the petition is what once that gets approved, what the workers in the other countries utilize to get their visa. So when they get their visa, there's this is a seasonal position. So say it's March 1st through October 1st. Those are the dates that they're approved to be here working. And there's some a few time frames of when they can start working or the earliest that they can be in the US, and then a time that they have to leave by. So that's kind of the three steps in getting approved to get the workers here.
SPEAKER_00And what if uh I don't know if I'm asking this right, but say you had a worker and you need them to stay two more weeks. Is there a way to, or when it's time for them to go, they have to go?
SPEAKER_01So if there's you can file um to get approved to have like the date extended. So say you get into the 2019 beet harvest and it goes for what feels like about five years, you can request to have it approved. I'm not sure if that wording is right, but you can request to get it extended for them to stay. But if the job order ends October 1st, for an example, and you're not done with harvest, and you don't file an extension to get the worker to save, they would have to leave by a certain date.
Where H-2A Is Growing And Why
SPEAKER_00Let's talk about we've heard a lot in the last few years about border insecurity. How much have things changed uh under the Trump administration, or not that this is a hit piece, but it's real obvious the border used to be a lot more open, right? So I would imagine you even more of a reason people would need their ducks in a row and need help doing this, correct?
SPEAKER_01Yes. You know, you always want to make sure you're doing all the right things and what's required under this program. But the H2A worker, they come over on a non-immigrant visa to work for the specific job for a specific amount of time. For example, if someone's approved to come over to work for, you know, Maxie Adams Farms, for example, they can only work on my farm unless, you know, they were to request a transfer and that gets approved or something like that. But it's very specific on, you know, they're coming over to work at my farm for these dates. They with the USCIS, sometimes they'll interview most recently under the Trump administration. There's been a lot revolving around truck driving with foreign labor. So we've been seeing with workers that have come over to the US for multiple years for this upcoming season, have gotten pulled in to interview more in detail about truck driving before they come over to get approved or denied. So a few changes. I think with the program, you know, each year something comes up, there's different changes that we have to stay updated on to make sure we're compliant with the program.
SPEAKER_00And a silly question, but before you started this, how many people did you know who were doing anything remotely like this organized that were H2A agents?
SPEAKER_01I don't personally know anyone, but I have reached out to, I actually reached out to quite a few different agencies asking if you know they wanted a remote office in North Dakota since we utilize quite a bit. And I was actually turned down about 50 times.
SPEAKER_00So who turned down May X Field? I want to hear about these people. So we'll go beat them up. Who turned you down?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um, I won't I won't say any names. I do work with attorney. So if questions come up that farms have or that even I have, he has been a great resource. He is specific to agriculture and to the different programs, whether it's H2A, H2B. So I have support in that regard if items come up and he's as items come up and he's been very, very helpful, very responsive.
SPEAKER_00I think of that lawyer, and I can't help but think of that that semi that was going the wrong way down the highway for a while. I mean, the whole time we're doing this podcast, I just see that semi going down the wrong way. And they're like, that's what happens when you don't really have a license in the United States.
SPEAKER_01And uh I've been, you know, just with I had mentioned there's a few return workers that have are now having they hadn't been interviewed before, but are interviewing this year more in depth at the consulate. But local government offices have been very helpful in supporting the farms to assist those workers in getting here. So I try and do anything I can to help the farms and support outside of just doing the paperwork. And that's that's important for our work. So um, I had just thought of something else. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Question for you, too. If that thought's not you, yeah, ask the question. In the Red River Valley, how many people do you think come up to work in this program for the seasonal help?
Setting Expectations And Wage Rules
SPEAKER_01I'm not sure about specific to the Red River Valley, but in North Dakota for last year, there was a little over 4,700 workers that or positions that were certified. And that was an increase of a little over 500 from the previous year.
SPEAKER_00Now look, uh, and so these H2A workers, when you said there's 400,000 coming in the United States, is that right? Yes. That's got to be going to California. Did you say you were talking off-air about the fruit industry? That is labor-intensive, right? Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_01A lot of yes, apples, there's tobacco farms, the cotton down south, what else? Yeah, a lot of the orchards have high volume of people.
SPEAKER_00Did you think about what you wanted to say?
SPEAKER_01I didn't. No.
SPEAKER_00You know you will the second we get off.
SPEAKER_01I know after we get off. I'll say that. That's right.
SPEAKER_00We were talking about labor and and how there's just I'm thinking that maybe it had something to do with different states have different laws. I I kind of wanted to touch on that a little bit. Like, how much different is it to get someone who's going to live in the state of North Dakota versus Minnesota? Is that a question?
SPEAKER_01Yes. Yes. So I'll give an example of I'll use the Wisconsin farm that I'm working with in North Dakota. So North Dakota, it's pretty straightforward. The housing inspector goes to the house, does inspection. If anything needs to be done, then the farm's responsible for updating those things. In Wisconsin, if the house is on well water, the well water has to be tested. And then the housing has to have fire, the fire department has to inspect it. And then they also have to have an isolation plan. So say a worker gets sick and they have to be like quarantine. The isolation plan has to specify, okay, we'd use this hotel. You have to make sure you put in there that you're, you know, checking in on them or someone is that you're providing them food and water or making sure that they have access to it. So that's a few things that I've seen that it's like, okay, this is different. My first clients were in North Dakota, so I'm I know that process. So it's fun to see other, you know, states or learn about the different requirements in the other states. The Department of Labor, their different requirements. That doesn't really change per state. I mean, the housing inspection is one thing, but the you know, minimum wage rate that is set for all the states. So you can't really, you can't go or you know, divert from any of their regulations.
SPEAKER_00I pulled up an H2A position map on the internet in Florida. Holy moly, 47,000 jobs. So of this big number you had of like the was it 400,000, North Dakota and South Dakota aren't that many. It's California, it's definitely in the orchards. I mean, it's all over the Carolinas. I'm actually surprised on how many people Texas real big. These are big numbers. I mean, there's there's got to be other people, but no one's gonna have as cool of a name as you. I'll tell you that. Feel for it. That one gets it.
SPEAKER_01So yeah, lucky for the last name.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. As we wrap up, well, thanks for coming on. And I do know my own client clients, your husband's clients, your social media. What do you want people to know or you know, feel this process? Like, what's their when you meet someone, they're like, I always wanted to do that. What's the but? Like, why didn't they?
SPEAKER_01I think they're just scared of all the different processes that they have to go through. And then I would say the housing, sometimes people aren't sure what to do for housing, but we work through that. A lot of times we find an apartment that's nearby that you know they're able to rent from. Some people, you know, there's a lot of rural properties out there that people will invest in to you utilize as their their housing.
SPEAKER_00Kind of like when someone's kids go to they think they're gonna have three kids go to Fargo to NDSU and they're like, let's just buy a little house downtown, right? And they'll live there. And then their friends are going to live there. Or perfect example, that's Mayville. I can't tell you how many clients uh parents have bought home in Mayville while the kids go to school and then they rent it out, and then uh maybe they saw it, maybe they rented out a little opportunity there. Are there any tricks? Any uh in your few years of doing this, what's something you're like, boy, I I didn't know what's something what was a hiccup that happened. You're like, wow, I wish someone would have told me before I started this.
Petition Steps And Extensions
SPEAKER_01Um I'm not sure if it's a hiccup, and I wouldn't say it's always predictable, but the return workers that have run into issues with getting back here when nothing new has come up, where I've had to reach out to like Hovind's office here in North Dakota for some support, that was surprising, and it's been very time intensive for me to assist the farms, to assist the to get their workers over here. And I think that's the goal with the program for the farms and what I want them to see, and I preface this with if they haven't been able to find domestic labor, if they're utilizing the HQA program, the goal is that you'll have your workforce that comes here works for your farm, and then next year, if you use it again, those same people or at least a few of them will return. And that's what we have is those tips and tricks to help these farms be successful so they can have return workers to their farm. I think my brother had just we were talking about it last week, has had someone that's been coming to them for eight years straight. And that's really fun to see. And a lot of the workers, you know, it's not home for them, but it ends up feeling like home for them. And that's environment that I want the farms to see become for these workers, and it's fun to, you know, a lot of the people that we meet, they're really providing for their family back home. And this is a great opportunity for them as well.
SPEAKER_00I really like the way you finished that. That was good. And we couldn't even have planned it that good. And the the thing I would add though from what you're saying and describing all that, Maxi, is if if a farm's sitting around staying up at night because labor's an issue, they can get ahead of it, but they have to start now. And it could get better this year, and it can get a lot better next year. And the third year, they could be like, wow, I wish I would have done this five, 10 years ago, correct?
SPEAKER_01Yes. And that's what you know, quality of life for people that have farms. You know, you're you're working like a dog a lot of the times, those peak seasons. But, you know, a lot of our friends have kids that are in sports and you know, they're running a farm and they're running other businesses. And this helps give them a quality of life as well. And a lot of times I hear people say, I wish we would have would have used this sooner. It's not as scary, it's so helpful.
SPEAKER_00Good stuff. How do people get a hold of you? I have your website up here. Field force.
SPEAKER_01The website, my contact information is there. So cell phone, that's my direct number on the website at 701-425-9597. And then my email also contact at fieldforce nd.com. You can email me there.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and no creepers, just legitimate leads, you know. No creepers. The internet's a weird place. There it is. Contact at fieldforce.com 701 425 9597. All right. Well, you did it. We got through it, and of course, I tell you what, the world's a wild place. Uh, while we're recording this, crude oil's moving all over. We have what's going on in Iran, as you know, your husband's commodity broker. He had a busy day today, and it's just a different world. I mean, there's some wild stuff going on. And is it is it crazy for me to say with what happened with Iran that that could even make it harder for aren't aren't a lot of workers coming in right now?
Border Policy, Trucking, And Interviews
SPEAKER_01Yes, yeah, they'll be coming in. The workers just want to stay up to date if they have their itineraries for coming over, just on, you know, if they have layovers somewhere, they just want to be aware of the different travel travel items in place. So the good to know my husband was busy today. Yeah, no, you should uh yeah, we we got married, let's see, we just celebrated our fourth anniversary, and I we got married February of 2022, and that was the busiest that since I've known him. He actually was like, I gotta go, I'm getting married. But that was when Ukraine that stuff started. Um, he was so busy that year. It was all afterwards.
SPEAKER_00Did you guys get married in February? When did you get married? That's when you yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01February 11th, 2022.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah, that in Ukraine work because they just had the anniversary. How many years have you been happily married?
SPEAKER_01Four. That's the right answer.
SPEAKER_00I don't know, but he's gonna watch this and die laughing. Yeah, all right.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, four years, and then our our son is three, so yeah, we're one and done sort of people.
SPEAKER_00You you could do the our son's five, we've been married four years, and that's our life, right? Yeah, but you know the rules. The first one could come anytime, and then after that, it's every nine months, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's how it works.
SPEAKER_00All right, good stuff, maxi field with Field Force. They will help you find H2A visa employees. I will get this all labeled up, rip some shorts, send them to you, and we can get this all put on social media. And it'd be really interesting to see as I hand this over to some other friends in the industry who are in media and stuff to watch your business grow. But the one thing you said off air that really caught my attention is the greatest feeling you get is knowing that that farmer can go do their job, raise the crop, and that they don't have to worry about labor. And I think that's really great.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Well, thanks for having me.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. I'm gonna hit a button and end this podcast. You think I'd never done this before, but uh i'm watching the markets and doing this with you maxi field field force you gotta check it out folks if you listen on apple spotify or watching on youtube click like and subscribe with that we'll catch you next time thanks maxie thank you
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