Immigrants an increasingly important labor force in Wisconsin dairy

Immigrants - primarily Mexicans - have become a major source of labor on Wisconsin's dairy farms, according to a new report that studied the issue for the first time.

More than 40% of all hired dairy employees are immigrants, who play an increasingly important role in the industry, according to "Changing Hands: Hired Labor on Wisconsin Dairy Farms." These new workers are also changing the demographics of rural communities and presenting opportunities and challenges for the industry, said the report, which was prepared by principal researcher Jill Harrison, an assistant professor in the department of rural sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"Most people I talk to are very surprised that Latinos are quickly becoming the majority of the work force on dairy farms," Harrison said.

Researchers held focus groups with dairy farmers, surveyed 83 farm owners and 370 of their employees, and followed up with more in-depth interviews, she said.

They found that dairy farmers here began hiring immigrant workers around 2000. Of course, immigrants have been coming to the Midwest to pick vegetables and other seasonal crops since the 1930s and working in meatpacking and food processing plants throughout the 20th century, she said. The study estimates that in 2007 at least 12,551 people were hired to work on Wisconsin dairy farms and at least 5,315 were immigrants. The study cites various reasons for the changes, including:

• Farmers are increasing production to increase income, and larger herds mean more workers are needed to keep the three-times-a day milking schedule.

• Tighter budgets may drive more farm families to work off the farm to stabilize the family income and/or for health insurance.

• Farm families are shrinking, and spouses and farm children often go off the farm to build careers.

Other reasons include the increasing average age of farmers.

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