What North Carolina Growers Association does

North Carolina Growers Association (NC Growers) is a private, non-profit membership association headquartered in Vass, North Carolina that administers the federal H-2A agricultural guest worker visa program on behalf of North Carolina agricultural employers. Described as the nation's largest user of H-2A, the organization pools resources across member farmers to submit joint visa applications, demonstrate bona fide labor shortages, certify domestic recruitment efforts, liaise with federal agencies, and coordinate foreign worker placement. It primarily serves small family-owned farms (86.7% of NC farms are individually or family-owned, and 93.2% are under 500 acres) growing fragile, non-mechanizable crops including sweet potatoes, Christmas trees, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, tobacco, and nursery products. Approximately 30% of NC agricultural employers rely on the H-2A program, and NC Growers holds the dominant position facilitating that labor flow within the state.

NC Growers' core product is H-2A program administration, supported by worker placement services (85% of workers placed on a single farm; 92% returning annually through the preferred worker program), regulatory compliance assistance, and labor dispute mediation. Supplementary offerings include the Access East farmworker support program, bilingual (English/Spanish) Heat Safety Alerts, and CPR/First Aid Training events. The organization has no proprietary technology platform, API, or software offering; its value derives from accumulated regulatory expertise, administrative process management, and institutional relationships rather than from technology. The organization has maintained a Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) since 2004, which has been the subject of significant state legislation (2017 amendment to NC General Statute 95-79) and federal litigation (FLOC v. Stein, case 1:17CV1037), ultimately resulting in a September 2021 court order dissolving the injunction against union dues deductions.

Revenue is generated through membership dues and H-2A program fees charged to member farmers on a subscription/recurring basis. The go-to-market motion is sales-led via direct membership outreach to NC agricultural employers facing seasonal labor shortages, supplemented by referrals within the agricultural community. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The organization also positions itself as a model that can be shared with agricultural organizations in other states, though no formal out-of-state expansion has been announced.

Name

North Carolina Growers Association

Legal name

North Carolina Growers Association

Website

https://ncgrowers.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

North Carolina Growers Association is a non-profit membership organization administering the federal H-2A agricultural guest worker visa program for North Carolina farmers. The nation's largest H-2A user, it provides seasonal labor for sweet potato, Christmas tree, berry, tobacco, and nursery growers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Workforce Services

NAICS

Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders (115115)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

H-2A & Agricultural Visa Labor Contractors (AFACAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Seasonal & Migrant Farm Labor Staffing (AFACAHAA), Agriculture & Seasonal Field Labor Staffing (BPACAEAJ)

Keywords

• H-2A visa program
• Agricultural labor services
• Farm worker placement
• Seasonal workforce solutions
• Agricultural association membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Vass

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues and H-2A Program Fees: NC Growers generates revenue through membership fees charged to North Carolina agricultural employers who join the association to access H-2A visa program services. The association pools grower resources and submits H-2A visa applications on behalf of member farmers, handling all regulatory compliance, paperwork, worker recruitment, and placement coordination for a fee structure based on membership and program participation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

North Carolina Growers Association administers the H-2A agricultural visa program on behalf of its farmer-members under a pooled-employer model, recruiting and placing seasonal foreign farm workers with North Carolina growers of sweet potatoes, Christmas trees, berries, tobacco, and nursery crops. The association handles recruitment logistics, transport coordination, regulatory compliance, and labor-management oversight for participating farms.

Product overview

North Carolina Growers Association offers a suite of services centered on H-2A agricultural visa program administration and labor management. The core offering is the H-2A Program Administration service, which handles the cumbersome visa application process, government liaison, worker recruitment, and regulatory compliance on behalf of member farmers. Supporting this core service are Worker Placement Services (managing placement of workers on individual farms or coordinating inter-farm movement), Labor Management and Dispute Mediation, and compliance assistance. The organization also provides supplementary programs including the Access East Farmworker Program for health and safety support, Heat Safety Alerts for worker protection during extreme weather, and CPR/First Aid Training events. These products work together to provide a comprehensive workforce solution that enables North Carolina family farms to access legal, reliable seasonal labor through the federal guest worker program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• H-2A Visa Program Administration

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% of all H-2A workers return annually through the preferred worker program
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004FLOC is a labor union representing agricultural workers. NCGA has maintained a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with FLOC since 2004, which has included provisions requiring member farmers who employ FLOC workers to deduct 2.5% of weekly earnings and remit to the union. This partnership has involved significant legal proceedings regarding union payroll deductions under North Carolina law, culminating in a 2021 court order dissolving an injunction on the deduction provision.
• Access EastminorOthersAccess East is a farmworker program partner that works with NC Growers to provide additional services and resources to farmworkers. NC Growers shares information about Access East programs on their website as part of their member services.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Western Range Association: California-based association that recruits and places sheepherders and range livestock workers via H-2A and related visa programs. Comparable association-based guest worker model serving agricultural employers in a specific sub-sector.
• Mountain Plains Agricultural Services: Multi-state H-2A agent serving agricultural employers across Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Operates as an H-2A program administrator and recruiter for member growers, directly comparable to NC Growers' core visa-facilitation service.
• WAFLA (Washington Farm Labor Association): Washington State-based H-2A pooled filer association serving fruit, vegetable, and nursery growers in the Pacific Northwest. Closest functional analog to NC Growers in a different state, operating the same association-based H-2A model for seasonal farm employers.
• AgWorks H2A Services: Private-sector H-2A labor contractor and farm labor staffing firm operating across multiple states including the Southeast. Offers pooled application services and farm labor recruitment comparable to NC Growers, but as a for-profit staffing entity rather than a non-profit association.
• USA Farm Labor Inc. Georgia-headquartered H-2A farm labor contractor providing seasonal agricultural workers to growers across the Southeast. Comparable H-2A staffing model serving crops including sweet potatoes, berries, and vegetables that overlap with NC Growers' customer base.

Emerging players

• Equitable Food Initiative: Non-profit workforce certification and worker well-being organization serving fresh produce growers. Adjacent to NC Growers in addressing agricultural labor standards, though focused on certification and labor-conditions rather than visa administration.
• Fresh Harvest (formerly known as staffing provider): Private H-2A staffing firm providing seasonal agricultural labor compliance and worker placement for specialty crop growers. Comparable H-2A visa handling and employer compliance support, though newer and lower-scale than NC Growers' pooled association model.

Regional players

• Great Lakes Agricultural Labor Services: H-2A labor services provider serving fruit, vegetable, and nursery growers in Michigan, Wisconsin, and other Great Lakes states. Comparable H-2A pooled filing and worker placement services but operating in a different agricultural region from NC Growers.
• CIER (Committee of Immigration and Employment Rights): California-focused H-2A administrative services and farm labor law firm assisting agricultural employers with H-2A compliance. Comparable H-2A compliance and visa filing services for member employers but operating in California rather than North Carolina.

Others

• FLOC (Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO): Farmworker labor union that has held a Collective Bargaining Agreement with NC Growers since 2004 and represents H-2A workers placed by the association. A labor counterparty and partner rather than a direct competitor, but materially relevant to NC Growers' operating environment and legal posture.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ncgrowers
• Facebookfacebook.com/162603093769698
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-carolina-growers-assn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about North Carolina Growers Association