How do you say 'milk the cows' in Spanish? Tuesday, August 4, 2009 Immigrant workers aren't only found on dairy farms in the southern and western United States. A couple of years ago agricultural services in New York state were offering farmers seminars on how to communicate with Hispanic workers.A recently released survey of more than 5,000 U.S. dairy farms reveals that immigrant labour is a key contributor to running those businesses. Conducted by the National Milk Producers Federation last year, the study says that immigrant labour, mostly from Mexico, accounted for 41 per cent of an estimated 138,000 full-time employees on dairy farms. They were paid an average of $10 an hour – about the same as cashiers in stores, and better than fast food workers, but less than workers on ranches, landscape companies and in slaughterhouses.Immigrant workers are critical to the dairy industry, the study says. Analysis of economic "simulations" shows that a 50 per cent loss of foreign workers would knock off 2,266 farms, cut the national herd by 673,000 cows and result in a 7.9 per cent drop in milk production from the 185.6 billion pounds produced in 2007. A complete loss of foreign labour would cut milk production by 29.5 billion pounds because 4,532 farms would be eliminated. The average farm in the study milked 297 cows.The study said that a 50 per cent cut in foreign labour would increase retail milk prices by more than 30 per cent. Send all the foreign workers elsewhere and retail milk prices would rise by 60 per cent. And removing even half of the workers would also eliminate nearly 133,000 U.S. jobs, "those held by immigrant and native-born U.S. workers alike."Farms with less than 50 cows were removed from the study, even though they account for more than 45 per cent of all U.S. dairy farms. They represent only 7.4 per cent of milking cows and 6.7 per cent of milk production.The study supports a need for immigration reform in the United States. But there were no figures in the study to reflect the suffering dairy farm operators are now undergoing. All those workers are helping to contribute to a milk glut, and current prices less than US$12 for a hundred pounds of milk are far below the cost of production. BSE not linked to farmed fish A pig for adoption
Sowing Solutions--Guelph’s Agri-Food Research Gets Federal Spotlight Friday, October 3, 2025 The University of Guelph welcomed two prominent federal representatives for a day of engagement and discovery on Friday, October 3rd. Dominique O’Rourke, Member of Parliament for Guelph, hosted the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, for a comprehensive tour... Read this article online
Downtown Diner Delivers a Taste of Canadian Farming to Ottawa Friday, October 3, 2025 This week, the heart of Canada’s capital was filled with the sights, sounds, and flavors of Canadian agriculture as Sparks Street played host to the Downtown Diner, a pop-up event celebrating Canadian food and the farmers who make it possible. At the center of the conversation was... Read this article online
Poll Reveals Mixed Public Sentiment on BC Ostrich Cull Decision Thursday, October 2, 2025 Farms.com poll shows divided opinions among Canadian farmers on the Supreme Court’s decision to halt the ostrich cull. A recent poll conducted on Farms.com's X account @OntAg aimed to capture Canadian farmers' views on the Supreme Court’s decision to halt the ostrich cull in British... Read this article online
Effective Strategies for Corn Soybean and Wheat Thursday, October 2, 2025 As reported on the OMAFRA website fieldcropnews.com, effective crop residue management in corn, soybean, and wheat fields is key to profitability and long-term soil health. It begins at harvest, with combines and headers set correctly to size and spread residue evenly across the... Read this article online
New Ontario agrobotics challenge seeking high school submissions Thursday, October 2, 2025 A new competition for Ontario high school students is looking for innovative ways to solve challenges in the ag sector. The AgRobotics Ontario Challenge launched at the end of September. The competition is a collaboration between the Western Fair District, the Ontario Council for... Read this article online