FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WE MOVE FROM FRAC SAND MINING TO THE FARM. IN THE DAIRY INDUSTRY, WE TOUCHED ON THE ISSUE OF IMMIGRATION AS IT RELATES TO FARM WORKERS ON THIS PROGRAM LAST WEEK. THIS WEEK, WE TRAVELED TO A DAIRY FARM, WHERE SEVEN OF THE EIGHT EMPLOYEES ARE IMMIGRANT WORKERS. ON THE MITCH BREUNIG FARM IN SAUK CITY, MANY OF HIS EMPLOYEES COME FROM CENTRAL AMERICA. BREUNIG SAYS IT’S NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND LOCAL LABOR. HE SAYS HIS WORKERS PRODUCE DOCUMENTS NEEDED TO FULFILL IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS. BREUNIG’S FARM MILKS 380 COWS. HE SAYS HE NEEDS HIGH QUALITY WORKERS TO MAINTAIN HIS QUALITY STANDARDS, FOR THE ANIMALS AND HIS MILK PRODUCTION. WHAT MANY IN THE DAIRY INDUSTRY WANT TO SEE IS AN EXPANSION OF THE AGRICULTURAL VISA PROGRAM THAT WOULD ALLOW YEAR-ROUND WORKERS, BECAUSE IMMIGRANT WORKERS ARE THE BACKBONE OF THE WISCONSIN DAIRY INDUSTRY. FARMERS LIKE MITCH BREUNIG SAY THEY COULDN’T DO BUSINESS WITHOUT THEM.

MITCH BREUNIG:

I REALLY THINK IT’S IMPORTANT THAT, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE IMMIGRATION IS A BIG TOPIC, AND JUST LIKE ALL PEOPLE, THERE’S PROBABLY SOME IMMIGRANTS THAT MAYBE ARE HERE BREAKING THE LAW AND DOING SOME THINGS THEY SHOULDN’T BE DOING, AND THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT WE DON’T REALLY WANT TO SUPPORT FOR OUR INDUSTRY BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT GOOD EMPLOYEES FOR ANYBODY. IT’S THE PEOPLE THAT WORK HARD EVERY DAY, THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE WE’RE REALLY LOOKING OUT FOR.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

THERE ARE TWO BILLS AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL TO TRY TO ADDRESS EXPANDING VISA FOR DAIRY FARM WORKERS. WE’RE TOLD ONE OF THEM, THAT TIES IN AN E-VERIFY EMPLOYEES FOR SUCH EMPLOYEES TO VISA EXPANSION, HAS BETTER ODDS.