Wisconsin dairy farms increasingly reliant, immigrant labor

Wisconsin dairy farms increasingly reliant on immigrant labor
BY JACOB KUSHNER • Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism • May 27, 2010

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Throughout America’s Dairyland, at places such as the dairy farms of James Winn in southwestern Wisconsin and Mike and Sandi Zirbel near Green Bay, farmers say they need immigrants to operate their growing farms.

As Wisconsin dairy farms expand, farmers have become increasingly reliant upon immigrant workers to milk the cows and clean the barns.

Immigrants make up nearly 60 percent of the work force at the state’s largest dairy farms, those with more than 300 cows, while just 20 percent of workers at smaller dairies are immigrants, according to a 2009 University of Wisconsin-Madison study.

Farmers are “looking for low-cost reliable workers,â€

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Rosenow estimates that since 2003, he’s continuously employed eight Mexicans to milk his herd and perform other tasks on the farm. Rosenow says his expansion, made possible by the help of immigrant laborers, allowed him to achieve prosperity.

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If these workers are here illegally, then this farmer has acieved prosperity by ripping off US taxpayers.

I have no problem with farmers hiring migrant laborers under strict conditions, such as: They must house them, feed them and pay for their medical care. They must also be forbidden from bringing their families with them. They must go back at the end of their time here. No birthright citizenship for any anchors they drop. Make the employer 100% responsible for them.

Chances are the mexicans working for him are here illegally, else they would not be working on a farm. If they are made legal, the farmers will have to import more illegal aliens to work the farms, because the ones legalized will refuse to do the work for such low wages. :twisted:

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Originally Posted by miguelina

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Rosenow estimates that since 2003, he’s continuously employed eight Mexicans to milk his herd and perform other tasks on the farm. Rosenow says his expansion, made possible by the help of immigrant laborers, allowed him to achieve prosperity.

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If these workers are here illegally, then this farmer has acieved prosperity by ripping off US taxpayers.

I have no problem with farmers hiring migrant laborers under strict conditions, such as: They must house them, feed them and pay for their medical care. They must also be forbidden from bringing their families with them. They must go back at the end of their time here. No birthright citizenship for any anchors they drop. Make the employer 100% responsible for them.

Chances are the mexicans working for him are here illegally, else they would not be working on a farm. If they are made legal, the farmers will have to import more illegal aliens to work the farms, because the ones legalized will refuse to do the work for such low wages. :twisted:

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Agree wholeheartedly!!! There are existing programs that these dairy farmers can use if they absolutely need farm hands from other countries. I guessing the farmers interviewed for this article do not pay for medical insurance and rely on taxpayers for health care.

I'm surprised that the Labor Unions haven't gotten to that state and tried to organize the illegals...go figure...