U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Steve Censky, along with Guatemala Governance Minister Enrique Antonio Degenhart Asturias, Labor Minister Gabriel Vladimir Aguilera Bolaños, Economy Minister Acisclo Valladares Urruela, Agriculture Minister Mario Estuardo Méndez, Guatemala Ambassador to the United States of America Manuel Alfredo Espina Pinto, Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP) Office of American Innovation Kristi Boswell, and EOP National Economic Council Jordan Bonfitto, visit Mexican workers who are trimming and shaping Christmas trees; and mowing fields at the Ground Roots (Christmas tree farm) where Co-owner and President Gerrit J. Strathmeyer leads the four generation business, in York, PA, on August 15, 2019.
The Ground Roots uses the H-2A visa program to support their workforce. For information about how USDA helps with the H-2A visa program, please visit this site: www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2019/04/03/usda-launche...
Since 1932, the Strathmeyer family’s “Ground Roots” has been suppling Evergreen and Christmas Tree stock and supplies to growers, wholesalers, landscapers, and homeowners. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung. Original public domain image from Flickr