H-2A Sponsorship Jobs in Iowa
Iowa's H-2A visa market is driven by row-crop agriculture across the corn belt, with employers in the Des Moines metro, Cedar Rapids corridor, and rural counties like Sioux, Woodbury, and Polk filing consistently. Crop detasseling, hog confinement, and grain harvest operations generate the highest volume of sponsored positions statewide.
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TITLE: Maintenance Technician I
REPORTS TO: Production Operations (BTW Farm Manager or Maintenance Supervisor)
LAST REVISION DATE: 9/08/2025
PURPOSE OF POSITION: This role is a dedicated, on-site maintenance technician responsible for one farm (or a small set of farms) reporting to production operations leadership. Responsible for completing any/all minor maintenance and repairs of swine facilities and equipment for Iowa Select Farms.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Adhere to ISF bio-security policy and report any violations to management team.
- Adhere to ISF animal wellbeing policy and report any violations to management team.
- Adhere to ISF safety policies and procedures, wear appropriate safety equipment (PPE) for appropriate tasks, and work in a generally safe manner.
- Utilize the ISF Tools work ticket system to effectively track all repairs and materials associated with each repair.
- Demonstrate general trade knowledge, including plumbing, electrical, carpentry and welding.
- Prioritize maintenance and repair items based upon highest priority. Animal welfare items, including feed, water, air/ventilation, and animal containment are of immediate concern.
- Be available to work on weekends for emergency maintenance needs.
- Ensure that all preventative maintenance items are routinely completed for the facilities and equipment.
- Manage/maintain an on-site parts inventory as necessary to complete routine repairs.
- Maintain the capacity to properly/effectively:
- Repair and/or replace curtain systems
- Fabricate, weld and repair penning area
- Repair and/or replace feedline systems
- Repair and/or replace ventilation systems
- Repair and/or replace waterlines
- Repair and/or replace building roof, siding, or ceiling material
- Repair and/or replace light fixtures, receptacles, and electric motors
- Repair and/or replace heating and cooling systems
- At times, operate heavy machinery (Backhoe, Mowers, Snow blowers, Hydro Clean Machine, Tractors, Manure Tanks, Trucks and Trailers)
- Assist in the repair of well water pumps, water meters, regulators, sewer lines, etc.
- Assist in seasonal snow removal, mowing, weed spraying and other items associated with general site appearance.
- Keep the production location free from any/all debris in and/or around the site(s).
COMPANY VALUES AND EXPECTATIONS: We believe in doing the right thing every day, operating with character and integrity, and being stewards of our resource by committing to:
- Our Animals
- Our People
- Our Environment
- Our Community
The core values of an organization are those values we hold which form the foundation on which we perform work and conduct ourselves. We expect all leaders, managers, and employees to demonstrate, foster and promote:
- Respect: We treat people with respect regardless of personal opinions or differing backgrounds, and no one within the organization is more or less important than anyone else.
- Accountability: We hold ourselves accountable for completing our job responsibilities and following through on our commitments. We encompass our ability to recognize our own strengths and areas for improvement as well as accept responsibility for the performance and actions of ourselves and our teams without blaming others.
- Good Decision-Making: We are expected to continuously improve processes, attain results, and create efficiencies to achieve our mission while solving problems based on a combination of factual information, analysis, wisdom, and experience.
- Flexibility: We must react to changing circumstances, ambiguity and uncertainty with confidence, openness, positive energy, and optimism.
Adhere to Iowa Select Farms bio-security policy at all times which includes reporting any violations or concerns to management team.
Adhere to Iowa Select Farms animal wellbeing policy at all times and partner with the Health and Care team in a timely manner if an incident occurs.
Compliance with Iowa Select Farms safety policies and procedures.
To maintain biosecurity standards, employees working on a farm are prohibited from cohabitating with employees from other production departments or support teams that access farms other than those assigned to their department.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
- This position is performed indoors.
- This position may require some tasks to be performed in extreme outside weather conditions.
- This position will have duties in all facilities of Iowa Select Farms so employees will need to be comfortable working in and being exposed to all facility environments.
- The noise level in the work environment and job sites can be loud.
- While performing the duties of the job, the employee is frequently exposed to fumes or airborne particles, moving mechanical parts and vibrations.
- The environment you will be working in may have nuisance levels of gases and dust, particularly in the winter months.
- Direct contact with animals may occur, so company bio-security practices must be understood and always practiced.
PHYSICALITY REQUIREMENTS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job.
- Required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear.
- Ability to read and write.
- Ability to lift up to 75 pounds along with climbing up ladders and over gates.
- The employee must be able to continuously repeat necessary movements such as bending, lifting and different hand movements as needed to complete tasks.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
This person must be able to work with limited or no supervision, so they must have initiative, organization, dependability, and be self-motivated.
This position will require the ability to troubleshoot a wide variety of mechanical issues, so being mechanically minded is a necessity.
This position will require the technician to work, at times, work with other employees, so team skills and good communication are important.
This person will also need basic computer and smart phone skills.
POSITION TYPE/EXPECTED HOURS OF WORK
This is an on-site position requiring all daily job duties to be performed in person at designated Iowa Select Farms locations, including office, warehouse, and farm sites, based on business needs and company policy.
This is a full-time position that will typically require at least 40 hours a week.
Additional availability may be required during staffing challenges.
Weekend and holiday on-call rotations will be required.
EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE and OTHER QUALIFICATIONS
Previous maintenance experience is preferred, but not a requirement.
Bilingual in English and Spanish, with fluency in both written and verbal communication is preferred but not required.
Must possess a valid driver’s license with an acceptable driving record.
OTHER DUTIES
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Additional duties, responsibilities, and activities may be assigned or changed at any time with or without notice.
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Tips for Finding H-2A Sponsorship Jobs in Iowa
Verify your agricultural worker eligibility early
H-2A requires that your role involves temporary or seasonal agricultural labor. Review O*NET occupation profiles for titles like crop farmworker or livestock worker to confirm your experience matches the job duties Iowa employers will list on their petitions.
Target employers before peak filing windows
Iowa corn and soybean harvest runs August through October, and detasseling demand peaks in July. Employers filing for those seasons submit petitions to DOL at least 60 days before the start date, so position yourself with target employers in spring.
Search verified H-2A employer filings on Migrate Mate
Use Migrate Mate to identify Iowa employers with active H-2A Labor Condition Application history, filtered by county or job title. This surfaces real sponsors faster than cold outreach across rural areas where job postings are sparse.
Understand Iowa's housing obligation before accepting an offer
DOL requires H-2A employers to provide free housing that meets federal and state standards. Ask prospective Iowa employers for their housing location and inspection records before signing anything, since rural placements near Sioux City or Iowa Falls may affect your logistics significantly.
Check the OFLC Wage Search for your specific Iowa county
H-2A workers must be paid the higher of the Adverse Effect Wage Rate or the OFLC prevailing wage for their occupation and county. Iowa rates vary by crop type and region, so use the OFLC Wage Search to benchmark what employers in Polk or Linn County are required to pay.
Confirm your employer has filed the required job order
Before a petition reaches USCIS, Iowa employers must submit a job order through Iowa Workforce Development, the state workforce agency. If an employer skips this step, the DOL will reject the application. Ask directly whether the state job order has been filed and accepted.
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Get Access To All JobsH-2A Jobs in Iowa: Frequently Asked Questions
Which industries in Iowa sponsor the most H-2A visas?
Row-crop agriculture dominates H-2A sponsorship in Iowa. Corn detasseling operations, soybean and grain harvest employers, hog and poultry confinement facilities, and nursery or greenhouse growers file the largest share of petitions. Employers in livestock feeding operations across northwest Iowa, particularly in Sioux and O'Brien counties, also file consistently throughout the year.
Which cities in Iowa have the most H-2A sponsorship jobs?
H-2A activity in Iowa is concentrated in agricultural regions rather than urban centers. Sioux City and surrounding northwest Iowa counties see high livestock-related filings. The Cedar Rapids corridor supports grain and processing-related seasonal work. Rural areas near Mason City, Iowa Falls, and Ottumwa also generate consistent H-2A demand tied to crop and animal agriculture cycles.
What types of roles typically qualify for H-2A sponsorship in Iowa?
Qualifying roles must involve temporary or seasonal agricultural labor. In Iowa, that includes crop farmworkers for detasseling and harvest, swine and poultry farmworkers at confinement operations, irrigators, and equipment operators for planting or harvest seasons. The work must be tied to a defined agricultural season, not year-round operational needs, to meet H-2A eligibility under USCIS guidelines.
How do I find H-2A jobs in Iowa?
Migrate Mate lets you filter verified H-2A employer filings by Iowa county, job title, and season, which is faster than searching rural areas where formal job postings rarely appear. You can also check DOL's job clearance system, where Iowa employers are required to post open H-2A positions before petitions are approved, making it a reliable source for active openings.
Are there any Iowa-specific considerations for H-2A sponsorship?
Iowa requires employers to submit their H-2A job order through Iowa Workforce Development before DOL will certify the petition. Iowa also participates in E-Verify, and some larger agricultural employers require enrollment confirmation. Workers placed in northwest Iowa's confined animal feeding operations should clarify housing proximity upfront, as facilities are often located far from the nearest town with services.