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GAPC Certification Application is OPEN |
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Need assistance with GAPC Certification? Consider hiring a consultant. |
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A consultant is an independent person/company that the grower hires to assist them through the certification process.
Consultants are not GAPC employees and using a consultant does not guarantee Certification will be granted. Rather, they are well versed in all things Certification and have completed detailed training from GAPC to help educate their growers. The consultant's role is to help guide the grower through the Certification process and assist with paperwork and record keeping practices. Learn more.
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| 2025 GAPC Consultant Partners
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| 2025 Annual GAP Training Available Online and In-Person |
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GAP Connections (GAPC) coordinates Annual GAP Training to provide growers the opportunity to learn from content experts about the latest crop, environmental, and labor best management practices. GAPC appreciates and recognizes the partnerships we have with the tobacco Extension Educators and Specialists and other content experts to best serve the growers.
You can find an in-person training date and location on the GAPC Training Events Calendar GAPC Training and Events Page
Online training is live and can be found on the Grower Dashboard in the Training Section.
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Recordkeeping and Training Resources |
As growers begin to plan for their 2025 season consider checking out several of the recordkeeping and training resources on the GAPC website. There are several record templates and forms available on the GAPC Recordkeeping page, including GAPC Record Templates, Training Records, Safety Records, HR Records, and US DOL Forms and Posters. GAPC also has a page dedicated to Worker Training resources including the Labor Management Guide, Worker Training Guides, Farmworker Safety Videos, and Forklift Inspection Checklists. GAPC will continue to update and add resources so check back often to see new updates.
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The Office of Foreign Labor Certification is making available program factsheets displaying key selected statistics about each of our major immigration programs. These factsheets include cumulative information and are updated on a quarterly basis.
In 2024 the Top 5 States of Employment for H-2A were:
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- Florida: 47,416 certified positions
- Geogia: 43,436 certified positions
- California: 37,511 certified positions
- Washington: 35,884 certified positions
- North Carolina: 27,532 certified positions
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Below is the report for Q1 of 2025. It is showing a 19.7% increase in applications received over Q1 2024.
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Reminder to Growers: Post 2024 OSHA 300A and Complete Electronic Reporting
GAPC Newsletter January and February
The OSHA Form 300A (Summary of work-related Injuries and Illnesses) for 2024 must be posted from February 1 through April 30, 2025, in a central location on the operation.
If your operation meets the following criteria, YOU MUST electronically submit data.
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OSHA collects work-related injury and illness data through the Injury Tracking Application (ITA). Growers meeting the above criteria must provide 2024 injury and illness data to OSHA by March 2, 2025.
Questions or Need Help???
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"Let's Talk About Labor" Podcast |
The “Let’s Talk About Labor Podcast” aims to help farmers and ag businesses connect with other ag businesses in Tennessee and other surrounding states, specifically to hear and learn about their experiences and challenges related to labor and the strategies they have used to overcome these challenges. In this podcast, we talk about various topics, such as US temporary foreign visa programs, mechanization and automation, and worker recruitment and retention strategies, among other topics. Different agencies and organizations have partnered with us to make this podcast possible, including the Southern Risk Management Education Center, GAP Connections, the US Department of Agriculture SCRI program, and the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development. This podcast would not be possible without the participation of farmers and ag businesses.
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Events and News From Others |
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Tobacco Associates (TA) 78th Annual Meeting |
When: Thursday, March 6 | 10:00 am - 12:00 PM EST
Where: Wilson County Agricultural Center, 1806 SW Goldsboro St., Wilson, NC 27893
Agenda:
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- Shawn Harding, President – NC Farm Bureau, will welcome the five-state membership.
- Beth Farrell, Agricultural Programs Specialist – NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, will relay the Department's industry objectives and updates.
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Dr. Matthew Vann, Associate Professor & Tobacco Extension Specialist – NCSU, will discuss planting considerations.
- Walt Hooks, Vice President – Sales, U.S. Tobacco Cooperative, will cover the global flue-cured tobacco outlook.
- Ivan Genov, Manager Tobacco Industry Analysis – International Tobacco Growers Association, will give an overview of the global tobacco market.
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Hank Mozingo, President of Tobacco Associates, will present his Annual Report on TA's export promotion programs and activities.
- Lunch will be provided following the program. The favor of a reply is requested.
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Please call 919-821-7670 or email tar@tobaccoassociatesinc.org by Monday, March 3 to indicate your attendance.
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Special Thank You to our 2025 GAP Connections Sponsors |
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865.622.4606 | info@gapconnections.com | 2450 E.J. Chapman Drive Knoxville, TN 37996
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