On the road, labor dominates the conversation

By Peter Scharpe, member services representative

As an Edge member services representative, I have the privilege of driving throughout the Midwest and talking with our members. My territory extends from western Wisconsin, through Minnesota and Iowa, into South Dakota and Nebraska. As a result, I visit all kinds of farms of all sizes, and I get to hear all the different opinions our members have.

One topic that has easily been on the forefront of many members’ minds is labor. From the small farms to the large farms, there is a shortage of good people willing to make dairy farming their livelihood.

Some farmers have reworked their farm business plan, revised their budget and allocated more funds to increase wages. This was necessary to compete with a nearby larger city. Other farms have worked quarterly or yearly bonuses into their pay structure to encourage retention.

Then, there are those farms that are doing what they can with the help they have, shorthanded as they are. The owner and farm manager in the thick of it, working shoulder-to-shoulder with their employees ensuring everything gets done.

As finding quality workers and keeping farms fully staffed is a concern in the dairy community, it has been a main point of focus for Edge and our government affairs team. Since before the pandemic, the team has been working on the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (FWMA).

It is no secret that dairy farms often rely on immigrants to fill positions on the farm; the challenge is that the system that processes immigration paperwork is essentially broken. No significant immigration reform has been passed by Congress in nearly 30 years. The system is outdated and needs to be fixed.

We have Edge members — farm owners who have built businesses here, raised a family within dairy — that are continually struggling with the current immigration system.

The FWMA does not solve all the issues within immigration. That type of legislation, in my opinion, would be far too large and complicated to make it through Congress. That’s why the FWMA has potential. It targets specific policies that would benefit farmers.

Based on what I’ve discussed with members, the most appealing part of the legislation is the extension of the H-2A visa, a temporary agricultural worker visa, to year-round employees.

Currently, dairy farmers are unable to seek employees through the H-2A as milking cows and dairy farming is a year-round activity, not seasonal. Under the FWMA, dairy farmers would have access to new year-round H-2A visas, where the holder could remain on the farm for three years.

The legislation also allows farmers to retain foreign employees who have been in the country for a given number of years, giving them legal status as a “certified agricultural worker.”

Our government affairs team has done an excellent job helping to get this legislation through the House of Representatives. Twice in fact. Once before the pandemic and then again after.

Now it heads over to the Senate, where things get more complicated.

Recently, Edge hosted a virtual Dairy Speaks event, where Edge members and staff were connected via video chat with their representatives.

I had the privilege of joining the meetings and discussing the situation with representatives from Edge’s service area.

Talking to Senate offices, it was clear that lawmakers understood the importance of the issue to our members. Unfortunately, they also described an uphill battle. There is concern that some Senate offices will try to add in more policy priorities, such as addressing border security. The FWMA will lose its specific purpose of providing relief to farms looking for a stable workforce and become a larger mass of ideas that will be difficult to pass.

All is not bleak, however. Senators and representatives understand the importance of the dairy communities in their states and districts and are eager to learn more. Edge will continue to be the voice of our members in D.C.

If any member wishes to reach out to their representative, we can help. Your member services representative can connect you with the government affairs team.