H2A worker arrival

Winter Pruning and the arrival of our H2A laborers

We have made significant changes this year as to how our vineyard will be cared for.

Alberto Trujillo (our Vineyard Manager) and his wife Citlali are winter pruning and we are using 4 H2A laborers to perform the pruning, tucking, leaf pulling, etc, etc, and harvesting duties necessary each year at our vineyard.

The H-2A program provides us with a stable source of workers for our vineyard.   It allows U.S. employers who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary agricultural jobs.   We’ve listed some of the more significant requirements below:

Provide for the cost of their Visas, transportation and food to and from the country of origin (in our case Mexico)

While in US provide for

• Transportation to and from the vineyard each day
• Housing including cooking facility and utilities

Provide a work contract specifying exact arrival and departure dates and,

• Provide a guarantee to each worker that they will receive at least 75% payment for the workdays under the work contract
• Utilize the Dept of Labor published labor rate

3 of our 4 H2A laborers (Julio, Javier and Moses) arrived on Sunday March 21 from Monterrey, Mexico. We are expecting our 4^th worker sometime in the next few weeks.

Visit one of the best Leelanau Wineries and shop our recommended wines: Pinot Grigio, Unoaked Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc!