The Edge January/February 2026

BUILDING YOUR TEAM

The Importance of Advocating for the H-2B Program

By Jill Odom

IN MARKETS WHERE FINDING SUFFICIENT LABOR IS EXTREMELY challenging, landscape companies have turned to the H-2B temporary visa program for assistance. However, this program is particularly volatile as Congress has failed to fully address permanent reforms due to intense political pressure from multiple angles.

seems like our whole attitude changes,” Stratton says. “Everything is just better when this program works, but when it doesn’t work, it’s really detrimental.” Nick Brummel, ambassador for Land scape Workshop and the former owner of Brummel Lawn & Landscape LLC, based in Blue Springs, Missouri, says in 2021 they didn’t receive their 24 tempo rary employees until October and they still had those 24 positions open then. “We went through 168 folks through out the year for those 24 positions, and had more work comp injuries, had more turnover with customers, and literally had to have the conversation with cus tomers,” Brummel says. “Since that day, customers have asked, ‘Do you have your H-2B people?’ We’ve educated them enough that they’ll ask, ‘Hey, do you have your folks for next year?’” Brummel says they also lost two man agers that year due to burnout, as they were working seven days a week trying to satisfy customers. “You end up putting in a lot of over time, and it’s really difficult for those who are here,” Stratton says. “It’s just a really stressful time for managers. It’s really difficult for those who are here, because you always feel like you’re three steps behind without having that extra shot in the arm.” WHAT LAWMAKERS NEED TO HEAR One of the main reasons the H-2B program is maligned is due to misconceptions surrounding it. This is why it is critical for landscape professionals to educate lawmakers on the facts. Andrew Bray, NALP senior vice president of government relations and membership, notes that without land scape professionals’ voices, there is the very real threat of the landscape industry no longer being eligible to use the H-2B program. The main misconception with the

forward once we were assigned our group,” Swortzel says. He says that year their requested visas made up around 10% of their workforce. He says it hurt, but they were able to pivot before the growing season started. Keven Stratton Jr., attorney and impact executive for Stratton Landscape Group, based in St. George, Utah, says they near ly lost contracts in the years they haven’t received their H-2B workers. “Not only does this workforce account for a good percentage of our in-field labor, but when the workforce arrives, it

While landscape companies strive to limit their dependence on the program by only having H-2B workers make up anywhere from 15% to 30% of their workforce, the years they don’t receive their workers are still hard on businesses. Brad Swortzel, president of BWS Land scaping, based in Ashland, Virginia, says they have participated in the program for three years and didn’t receive their workers in 2024. “There was a chance we would get the workers in July, but that would have been too late for us, so we did not move

14 The Edge // January/February 2026