
A Wisconsin Dairy Farmer Decries Government Inaction on Immigration Law, Arguing That Current Policies Are Causing a Labor Shortage and Creating a Climate of Fear for His Essential Workforce.
A Western Wisconsin dairy farmer is sounding the alarm on a critical issue for the agribusiness sector: the ongoing farm labor shortage. John Rosenow, owner of Rosenholm Dairy, argues that a lack of government action on immigration law is not only failing to address the problem but also exacerbating it. He highlights that despite numerous appeals from farmers to Washington D.C., Congress has remained inert on a issue that has plagued the industry for nearly 40 years.
Rosenow points to the inadequacy of current visa programs, specifically mentioning that the H-2A program does not serve the needs of year-round dairy operations like his. The article, through a key piece of data journalism, reveals that 13 of his 18 employees are from Mexico. He notes that new enforcement efforts on old immigration laws are creating a climate of fear among his employees, preventing them from returning home to their families for extended periods.
The farmer also directly refutes a common political narrative, calling out the misconception that immigrants from Mexico are undesirable. He emphatically states, based on his own experience hiring workers since 1996, that the individuals he employs are “the leaders in their communities” and “the top of the line people.” Rosenow specifically cites an employee, Cevero, who has been with him for over 25 years and has never missed a day of work.
According to Rosenow, the consequences of this government inaction are severe. He warns that a mass exodus of immigrant workers would be catastrophic for the entire dairy economics industry. The farmer’s statement underscores the essential role that immigrant labor plays in keeping dairy farms operational, suggesting that without this workforce, the industry would face collapse.
The article concludes by framing the issue as a humanitarian and economic problem, affecting not only the workers’ ability to return home but also the stability of the dairy sector. It highlights the stark disconnect between the reality on the farm and the political rhetoric, arguing that the government’s failure to address immigration reform is a direct threat to the vitality of America’s dairy farms and the broader agribusiness landscape.
AUDIO: John Rosenow and Mercedes Falk from Rosenholm Dairy discuss several things related to migrant workers with Brownfield’s Larry Lee
Source: Brownfield Ag News, “Dairy farmer calls on government to fix immigration, worker visas”
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