Since 1975, Northern Orchard in New York has depended on Jamaican workers to bring in its apple crop, season after season, without fail. What began as a labour solution has become the backbone of the farm’s business model.

At the height of harvest, the family-run orchard employs more than 140 Jamaicans. Some of these men have returned for nearly 40 years, passing on knowledge of pruning, spraying, and harvest rhythms to newer recruits. The continuity has created a workforce that knows the farm as intimately as the Mulbury family itself.

That kind of experience is not easily replaced. U.S. agriculture has struggled with rising labour shortages, but Northern Orchard has found stability in its Jamaican crew. Their discipline, consistency, and ability to adapt to the demands of each season provide the farm with something local labour cannot guarantee: reliability.

The relationship also runs deeper than economics. Over the years, Jamaican workers have become part of the orchard’s cultural fabric. Father’s Day celebrations now feature jerk chicken cooked on the farm, while local shops in town stock Jamaican products when the workers arrive. These traditions have created a sense of belonging that blurs the line between “temporary labour” and “long-term partners.”

It is against this backdrop that farm owner Jesse Mulbury speaks with conviction about Jamaica’s role in his family’s livelihood. “We probably wouldn’t exist year to year without the Jamaican H-2A programme,” he explained. “Our local labour force just isn’t adequate. Jamaicans bring skill, pride, and reliability. They know our orchards like the back of their hand.”

Mulbury’s words echo a wider truth across the agricultural sector: reliability is now the currency of competitiveness. Jamaica’s model rooted in worker preparation, loyalty, and long-standing trust, offers employers the assurance they need in an uncertain labour market.

Northern Orchard’s story captures that edge clearly. Jamaica is not simply supplying workers; no, it is sustaining businesses, strengthening communities, and planting the kind of trust that grows stronger with each season.

Pearnel Charles Jr, Minister of Labour and Social Security (right), bids farewell to farm workers as they board the bus to the airport during a send-off ceremony.