This issue contains updated information about how proposed immigration reform impacts your dairy business. Most dairymen are likely pleased with the proposals in a Senate bill introduced in late April.
In my opinion, it really is a good deal for the dairy industry. ( Click here to read more analysis about the bill.)
Dairy farmers, and agricultural producers in general, get a package specifically for them in the proposed bill. The stand-alone section of the bill transitions current ag workers to legal status faster than other illegal aliens in other industries.
The bill also provides a new guest worker program, as it is likely that after current workers earn permanent residence by working in ag for five years, they may eventually move on to other jobs.
If immigration reform passes, Spanish-language proficiency and training materials will likely still be helpful in managing the future dairy workforce. The presence of guest workers, who will likely be speaking Spanish, has reinforced the importance of our sister publication El Lechero .
As a reminder, the magazine is free to any dairyman who requests copies for himself and his workers. If you’re not receiving the publication, you might want to give it a try. This issue contains two articles ( Naffziger article and Fuhrmann article ) that have complementary articles in the current issue of El Lechero .
This issue also contains new research that is showing the maturation of the Mexican economy. In the coming years, increasingly more Mexican workers are expected to move into non-ag industries.
So even if we have a guest worker program that would permit those directly south of our border to legally work in the U.S. in ag, it’s likely that over time the number of people interested will decline. ( Click here to read more about this trend.)
When I wrote about immigration reform earlier this year, I received the following comment from a Minnesota dairyman:
“I disagree with your [opinion] in the February 11 edition … ‘It’s likely that without proper reform, consolidation of milking cows into fewer herds would accelerate.’
“I firmly believe that we may see the opposite – more herds with fewer cows. I define fewer being 300 to 600 milking cows. Automation will drive our dairy industry.
I believe a family farm, with family labor, will be the new norm utilizing automation and innovation. What has been considered ‘cheap labor’ will not be part of the agriculture community.”
I don’t believe dairies won’t benefit from the proposed guest worker program, if it passes Congress. And that labor likely won’t be “cheap” – at least $11.30 per hour plus a housing stipend and one-way travel reimbursement. However, I wrote in response that I agreed with him that automation will drive our industry.
That’s why we continue to include information about box-style milking robots, despite the fact that these units are now performing a small minority of the total number of total U.S. milkings each day. ( Click here for an article about the typical day of a robotically milking dairy producer.)
But automation comes at a cost. The capital investment required to install more automation is what will consolidate more cows into fewer hands – those who can afford such investments. Thanks reader, for challenging that point and asking for clarification.
Automation will also require a more skilled labor force. Employees will need training to analyze data and troubleshoot problems, in addition to their current skill set of exercising protocol discipline.
This issue contains lots of suggestions for improving labor, moving toward a more automated management mindset and the application of both of these principles to improve milk quality. PD
Walt Cooley
Editor
Progressive Dairyman
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