Source: National Milk Producers Federation
ARLINGTON, VA – The dairy industry has historically relied on skilled immigrants to make up for labor shortages in rural America. Getting milk to market and caring for the daily needs and health and wellbeing of our cows is hard work that never stops.
With renewed national attention on border security and immigration enforcement, farmers nationwide are wondering if they could be affected. Arizona dairy farmer Jim Boyle says solving illegal immigration needs to be paired with meeting agriculture’s workforce needs.โฏ
“The president is right about securing the border, but any enforcement action needs to go hand-in-hand with a labor reform package,” said Boyle, co-owner of Casa Grande Dairy Co., a 3,600-cow operation in Casa Grande, and chairman of the NMPF Immigration Task Force.โฏ
Boyle first got involved with federal policy in 2011. He has seen many iterations of immigration reform come and go, but he is confident there is a “fair and workable solution” that will allow for both seasonal and long-term agricultural workers.โฏโฏIn the short term, President Trump’s direction last week for federal law enforcement to put a hold on actions at farms, meatpackers, restaurants and hotels, since reversed, was a positive step, Boyle said. Longer-term, agriculture still needs a solution that lessens anxieties not only for the farmer and the worker but also for the future reliability of the food supply that the administration is trying to protect.
To view this and other stories in our Farmer Focus series, check out NMPF’s Sharing Our Story page.
About NMPF
The National Milk Producers Federation, based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. NMPF’s member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk, making NMPF dairy’s voice on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more, visit www.nmpf.org.
