Dairy workers with no legal immigration pathway

America’s dairy workers do not fit into existing categories for legal immigration. They are year-round, rather than seasonal farm workers, and thus cannot be accommodated by H-2A seasonal work permits. These permits hav surged in use, associated the a relative decline among produce farmers to depend on unauthorized workers. Diary workers have no formal modern day skills thus will not be given employment-based green cards.  Yet they fill a gap in the farming workforce created by the decline in population in rural areas and the relatively unattractive compensation and working conditions.

In 2015, hourly wages averaged $11.54, which aligned with wages generally in farming. These wages have surged due in part to labor scarcity, and today both diary and farming in general are $18-$20 an hour. As foreign-born dairy farmers are often provided housing, the comparison with non-farming compensation is not straightforward.  It is worth noting that 31 states do not provide special authorizations for persons without formal legal status to drive a vehicle, thus housing for many may be an absolute requirement. (Go here about special drivers licenses.)

Rural exodus of the U.S. born population, poor attributes of a 24/7 work demand, and low wages compared to cleaner and safer work have created a chronic shortage of workers.

Hence the high use of unauthorized workers to fill diary jobs. 79% of of foreign-born workers in diary farms are estimated to be unauthorized. A national survey of dairy farms was conducted during Fall 2014 produced these insights:

foreign-born labor accounts for 51% of all dairy labor. Dairies that employ immigrant labor produce 79% of the U.S. milk supply. Eliminating immigrant labor would reduce the U.S. dairy herd by 2.1 million cows, milk production by 48.4 billion pounds and the number of farms by 7,011. Retail milk prices would increase by an estimated 90%.

(From Texas A & M, The Economic Impacts of Immigrant Labor on U.S. Dairy Farms, by Flynn Adcock, David Anderson, and Parr Rosson. August 2015)

Also go here.

 

 

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