DIAL Ventures launches its first startup to streamline the H-2A visa seasonal labor program
Croft automates manual workflow processes, digitizes documents, and improves collaboration between growers, farmers, their H-2A legal experts, government agencies, foreign workers, and all other organizations involved.
DIAL Ventures, an innovation initiative launched by Purdue University in partnership with venture builder High Alpha Innovation, is announcing the launch of its first startup company, Croft. Croft streamlines the H-2A visa program to save farmer and grower employers and their H-2A legal experts time and money. The Croft platform digitizes documents, automates manual workflow processes, and improves collaboration between farmers, growers, their H-2A legal experts, foreign workers, governmental agencies and all other organizations involved.
Labor shortage is one of the greatest challenges facing agriculture today. A recent nationwide poll shows that nearly 90% of farmers and growers find it difficult to fill agricultural jobs. As a result, the U.S. does not have enough people to plant, pick, harvest and manage the crops to feed the nation.
The H-2A visa program has alleviated some of the burden, but a huge supply and demand problem still exists between foreign workers and their farmer and grower employers — and the program is inherently complex and presents many challenges for everyone involved. Solving these challenges will make it easier for the program to grow rapidly.
"The H-2A Program is vital, but it is both expensive and cumbersome for farmers and growers, and it is extremely confusing and time-consuming for foreign workers," said Allan Gray, executive director of DIAL Ventures. "Growers just want to farm — they don’t want to be legal experts or the human resource department.”
DIAL Ventures, an innovation initiative launched by Purdue University in partnership with venture builder High Alpha Innovation, is announcing the launch of its first startup company, Croft. Croft streamlines the H-2A visa program to save farmer and grower employers and their H-2A legal experts time and money. The Croft platform digitizes documents, automates manual workflow processes, and improves collaboration between farmers, growers, their H-2A legal experts, foreign workers, governmental agencies and all other organizations involved.
Labor shortage is one of the greatest challenges facing agriculture today. A recent nationwide poll shows that nearly 90% of farmers and growers find it difficult to fill agricultural jobs. As a result, the U.S. does not have enough people to plant, pick, harvest and manage the crops to feed the nation.
The H-2A visa program has alleviated some of the burden, but a huge supply and demand problem still exists between foreign workers and their farmer and grower employers — and the program is inherently complex and presents many challenges for everyone involved. Solving these challenges will make it easier for the program to grow rapidly.
"The H-2A Program is vital, but it is both expensive and cumbersome for farmers and growers, and it is extremely confusing and time-consuming for foreign workers," said Allan Gray, executive director of DIAL Ventures. "Growers just want to farm — they don’t want to be legal experts or the human resource department.”