H-2A Vegetable and Berry Seasons in California and Oregon (2026)

California is the largest agricultural state in the US, and in the last decade it has gone from barely using the H-2A program to being one of its biggest users, as local farm labour has become harder to find. Oregon follows the same trend on a smaller scale. Together, the two states offer some of the longest and best-paid vegetable and berry seasons available to foreign seasonal workers.

California: nearly year-round work

California's climate means there is almost always a harvest happening somewhere.

Strawberries and mixed vegetables

• Salinas Valley (the "Salad Bowl"): lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and strawberries roughly April to November
• Oxnard and Santa Maria: strawberries with long seasons, often January or February through summer
• Imperial Valley and Yuma-adjacent desert: winter vegetables from November to March, the mirror image of Salinas

Other major crops

Grapes in the Central Valley and coastal wine regions peak from late summer into autumn, and many H-2A contracts cover mixed field work across several crops. Contracts of six to ten months are common with the larger farm labour contractors that move crews between regions as seasons shift.

Oregon: berries and summer intensity

Oregon's Willamette Valley is a berry powerhouse: strawberries in June, then blueberries, blackberries and raspberries through July and August, alongside nursery work, Christmas tree farms and vegetable harvests. Seasons are shorter than California's, typically two to six months centred on summer, which suits workers who want an intense season rather than most of a year abroad.

Pay

California's Adverse Effect Wage Rate is among the highest in the country, in recent years around $19 to $20 per hour; Oregon shares the top-tier Pacific Northwest rate at a similar level. Check dol.gov for the current year's figures. Berry picking is frequently piece-rated per flat or pound with the AEWR as a guaranteed hourly floor, and experienced pickers can beat it. Note that California also has state overtime rules for farmworkers that are more generous than federal law, so long weeks can pay meaningfully better than in other states.

Housing and conditions

H-2A employers must provide free, inspected housing, daily transport to the fields, reimbursement of inbound travel at the contract midpoint and return travel at the end, plus the three-quarters guarantee of offered work. The work itself is stooped, fast-paced and quality-controlled, especially strawberries, which are picked directly into retail packaging. Summer heat rules in both states require shade, water and rest breaks; California's heat standard is among the strictest anywhere.

A sample season plan

To make this concrete, here is how a realistic West Coast year might look for one worker. A Santa Maria strawberry contract starting in March runs through September: seven months of steady piece-rate picking with free housing. Alternatively, a shorter Oregon plan: arrive in June for strawberries, roll into blueberries and blackberries with the same contractor through August, and be home by September, a three-month burst suited to workers with family or land at home. A third pattern follows a large contractor from the Imperial Valley winter vegetable deal in November through spring, then north to Salinas for summer, one of the longest continuous earning runs available anywhere in the H-2 system. The job order defines which of these you are signing up for, including every worksite location, so read it and ask questions before you commit to a length that does not fit your life.

Also budget realistically: although housing is free, California towns are expensive for food and phone plans compared with the rural South, so savings depend on disciplined spending even at high wages.

How to get hired

Most West Coast H-2A hiring runs through large growers and licensed farm labour contractors who recruit months ahead of each season. There is no visa cap on H-2A, so the challenge is being findable and credible: harvest experience, physical fitness and reliability are what employers screen for. Never pay anyone for a job offer; worker-paid recruitment fees are prohibited, and legitimate contractors know this. For the paperwork sequence from job order to consulate, see how US visa sponsorship works.

This is general information, not legal advice. Wages and rules change yearly; verify at dol.gov and uscis.gov.

West Coast contractors search constantly for dependable harvest workers. Create your free profile on Workmerica, list your crop experience, and let employers contact you directly. It is free, with no credit card required.