The Role of Immigrant
Labor on US Dairy Farms
Fanning Lecture Series
University of Georgia
November 15, 2012
Parr Rosson, Professor & Head
Department of Agricultural Economics
Texas A&M University
Overview
Motivations for Study
Methods & Results
Implications
Motivations
 Over Past 7-8 Years, Increasing Shortages of
Labor in Agriculture

Construction, Oil/Gas Expansion, Hurricane Relief & Increased
Enforcement of Immigration Laws Are Main Reasons
 Ag & Producer Groups Concerned About Impacts
of Labor Losses on Farms & Industries
 Current Population Survey Estimates 57% of Ag
Workforce is Foreign Born
 Lack of Information
 Our Profession Has a Role
What Was Done?
 National Mail Survey of 5,005 Dairy Farms
in 2008
 Random
Sample of 715 Farms in 7 Regions
 1,344 of 2,071 Returned Surveys Were
Analyzed
 Flynn Adcock, David Anderson, Dwi Susanto
& I Conducted in Analysis
 Only Farms With Hired Labor Were
Analyzed
 Sample Size Varied by Question
Survey Regions
Northwest
Northeast
North
Midwest
WASHINGTON
MONTANA
NORTH
DAKOTA
VERMONT
MICHIGAN
MINNESOTA
OREGON
MAINE
NEW HAMPSHIRE
IDAHO
WISCONSIN
SOUTH
DAKOTA
MASSACHUSETTS
NEW YORK
WYOMING
NEBRASKA
NEVADA
IOWA
PENNSYLVANIA
INDIANA
OHIO
WEST
VIRGINIA
COLORADO
KANSAS
CALIFORNIA
California
ARIZONA
DELAWARE
ILLINOIS
UTAH
NEW MEXICO
OKLAHOMA
MISSOURI
ARKANSAS
Southwest
MARYLAND
VIRGINIA
KENTUCKY
TENNESSEE
NORTH CAROLINA
SOUTH
CAROLINA
ALABAMA
TEXAS
RHODE ISLAND
CONNECTICUT
NEW JERSEY
GEORGIA
Southeast
MISSISSIPPI
LOUISIANA
FLORIDA
Survey Results
 Farm Structure & Characteristics
 Hired Labor, Wages & Employee
Characteristics
 Worker Documentation &
Enforcement
 South Is Emphasized
Milk Production per Farm
62% of Milk Production
from Farms Employing
Immigrant Labor
Share of Income
from
Dairy
Farm
- % of Farms -
Employees per Farm
47% of Farms
Employed
Immigrant Labor
Employee Origin & Wages
98% of Immigrant
Labor from
Mexico
8.7
1.7
Non-Wage Benefits
Labor Shortages & Turnover
20% of Farms
Had Labor
Shortage
Impacts of Labor Shortages
Reactions to Labor Shortages
Employee Documents Retained
Confidence in Documents
38.4
38.6
Concern About ICE Raids
46.6
Implications
 Immigrant Labor, Especially from
Mexico, Is Important to Dairies in
the South
 Dairies Employing Immigrant
Labor Pay Higher Wages
 Labor Shortages & Turnover Had
Negative Impacts on Some Dairies
Implications
 Increasing Wages May Not Attract
More Labor
 Some Farmers Concerned About
Documentation
 Lack of Immigration Policy Reform
May Make Labor Situation Worse
Thanks!!
Questions?
Parr Rosson
979-845-2116
prosson@tamu.edu