FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WISCONSIN’S MOST IMPORTANT INDUSTRY WANTS IMMIGRATION REFORM FROM WASHINGTON. THE DAIRY INDUSTRY RELIES ON IMMIGRANT LABOR. AS MANY AS HALF THOSE WHO WORK THE FARMS ARE IMMIGRANTS AND ACCORDING TO EXPERTS, AS MANY AS THREE-QUARTERS ARE UNDOCUMENTED. THIS REALITY HAS SOME WISCONSIN DAIRY INDUSTRIES LOBBYING IN WASHINGTON ON IMMIGRATION REFORM, INCLUDING OUR NEXT GUEST, JOHN HOLEVOET FROM THE DAIRY BUSINESS ASSOCIATION. AND THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

JOHN HOLEVOET:

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

HOW IMPORTANT THEN IS IMMIGRANT LABOR ON WISCONSIN DAIRY FARMS?

JOHN HOLEVOET:

I THINK MOST OF OUR FARMERS WOULD CANDIDLY ADMIT THAT WITHOUT THEM WE COULDN’T MAINTAIN OUR POSITION AS AMERICA’S DAIRYLAND.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO WHY HAVE IMMIGRANTS KIND OF TAKEN UP THE WORK ON DAIRY FARMS? WHY DO WE NEED THEM SO BADLY?

JOHN HOLEVOET:

WELL, THEY HAVE A REALLY HARD TIME–FARMERS HAVE A HARD TIME RECRUITING EMPLOYEES TO THE FARM BY TRADITIONAL MEANS. THEY’RE AGGRESSIVELY PUTTING ADS IN PAPERS, ONLINE, ET CETERA, AND THEY STILL STRUGGLE TO FILL ALL THE POSITIONS THEY HAVE. SOME OF THEM ARE UNUSUAL HOURS. I THINK THAT PLAYS A ROLE. THERE’S ALSO THEY’RE MOSTLY AT REMOTE LOCATIONS, TOO, SO THEY HAVE A COUPLE DIFFERENT CHALLENGES IN FILLING THE POSITIONS. BUT DESPITE THEIR BEST EFFORTS, IT’S HARD TO DO.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

ONE EXPERT I THINK AS WE CITED SAYS THAT AS MANY AS 75% OF THESE IMMIGRANT WORKERS ARE UNDOCUMENTED, BUT THEY MUST HAVE TO SHOW THE FARMER EMPLOYER EMPLOYMENT DOCUMENTS.

JOHN HOLEVOET:

SURE. ANY OF US WHO GO THROUGH THE EMPLOYMENT PROCESS JUST ON OUR OWN, WE’VE HAD TO FILL OUT THAT I-9 FORM AND PROVIDE SOME SORT OF VERIFYING DOCUMENTATION. THE FARMERS ARE HELD TO THE EXACT SAME STANDARD. SO THEY DON’T ALWAYS KNOW. IN FACT, THEY RARELY IF EVER KNOW WITH CERTAINTY WHETHER OR NOT WHAT THEY’VE BEEN PROVIDED WITH IS 100% ACCURATE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

AND YET, THEY, I UNDERSTAND, ARE NOT ALLOWED TO KIND OF PRESS THE WOULD-BE EMPLOYEE TO SEE FURTHER DOCUMENTATION OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. WHAT IS THAT ABOUT?

JOHN HOLEVOET:

WELL, THERE’S LIMITS ON WHAT THEY CAN AND CANNOT ASK, SO THEY’RE CAREFUL ABOUT THAT, NOT JUST FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF NOT WANTING TO OFFEND SOMEONE, WHICH WE COULD SEE HOW THAT COULD PLAY OUT, TOO, QUESTIONING SOMEONE’S STATUS JUST BECAUSE OF THEIR ETHNICITY WOULD BE INAPPROPRIATE, BUT IT’S ALSO LEGAL REQUIREMENTS THEY’RE TRYING TO STAY WITHIN THE BOUNDS OF AS WELL. SO IT’S REALLY A FINE LINE THEY HAVE TO WORK — EXCUSE ME, A FINE LINE THEY HAVE TO WALK, AND IT’S A TOUGH THING THAT THEY FACE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

AND SO WHAT FEAR DO FARMERS AND PERHAPS INDEED THEIR EMPLOYEES HAVE THAT IMMIGRATION WILL COME IN AND BUST THE FARM?

JOHN HOLEVOET:

WE HAVEN’T HAD MUCH OF A PROBLEM WITH ENFORCEMENT HERE IN WISCONSIN. THAT IS A PERENNIAL CONCERN FOR FARMERS ELSEWHERE, INCLUDING DAIRY FARMERS ELSEWHERE. PARTICULARLY UPSTATE NEW YORK IS OFTEN THE SITE OF IMMIGRATION RAIDS. THAT HAS NOT BEEN SOMETHING THAT’S HAPPENED MUCH HERE, FORTUNATELY FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED, ALTHOUGH I’M SURE MOST FARMERS HAVE IT IN THE BACK OF THEIR MIND THAT THAT’S A POSSIBILITY.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO ALL OF THIS SAID, WHAT IMMIGRATION POLICY CHANGES DO WISCONSIN FARMERS SEEK FROM WASHINGTON?

JOHN HOLEVOET:

WELL, THE BARE MINIMUM, WE’D LIKE TO SEE SOME SORT OF CHANGE — AND I DON’T KNOW THAT IMMIGRATION REFORM IS REALLY WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT HERE. WE’RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT TRYING TO PROVIDE A STABLE WORK FORCE FOR AGRICULTURE. WE ALREADY HAVE VISAS IN PLACE FOR OTHER TYPES OF FARMING THAT ARE SHORT-TERM, AND READY FOR HARVEST. YOU KNOW HARVEST POSITIONS. BUT COWS NEED TO BE MILKED THREE TIMES A DAY, EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR. SO THOSE VISA OPPORTUNITIES THAT ALREADY EXIST FOR AG EMPLOYEES REALLY DON’T WORK FOR THE DAIRY INDUSTRY. SO WE’RE SEEKING AN ADDITIONAL TYPE OF AGRICULTURE VISA OR AN EXPANSION OF THE AGRICULTURE VISA REQUIREMENTS THAT ALLOW US TO GET WORKERS WHO WOULD BE HERE YEAR-ROUND.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO DO WISCONSIN POLICYMAKERS WHO MAY BE VERY TOUGH ON IMMIGRATION REFORM IN OTHER RESPECTS AND TALK ABOUT NO AMNESTY AND TALK ABOUT BUILDING WALLS AND DEPORTING PEOPLE, ARE THEY HEARING YOUR INDUSTRY ON THIS NEED FOR THE YEAR-ROUND KIND OF WORKER PROGRAMS?

JOHN HOLEVOET:

I’D SAY MOST OF OUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION HAS BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE, AND THEY DO REALLY DRAW THE DISTINCTION THAT YOU DID AS WELL, THAT THIS IS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ISSUE FOR OUR STATE AND WILL REMAIN ONE INTO THE FUTURE. AND IT’S SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED EVEN IF WE CAN’T REACH A CONSENSUS ON A BROADER IMMIGRATION PACKAGE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

AND YET THIS IS NOT A NEW PROBLEM FOR THE DAIRY INDUSTRY. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR HOW LONG, THAT IMMIGRANT LABOR HAS REALLY BEEN THE BACKBONE OF THE INDUSTRY?

JOHN HOLEVOET:

I THINK A VERY LONG TIME. WE’VE HAD IMMIGRANTS WORKING ON THE FARM IN THE PROPORTIONS AND NUMBERS WE CURRENTLY HAVE. STILL PROBABLY IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS WE’VE HAD SIMILAR NUMBERS, BUT THERE’S NO END IN SIGHT FOR THIS NEED. AND YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. THIS IS REALLY A PROBLEM WE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN TRYING TO ADDRESS A DECADE AGO, BUT CERTAINLY THE NEED IS REALLY SEVERE NOW.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WE’LL BE WATCHING TO SEE WHO’S LISTENING AND WHO TAKES ANY ACTION ON THIS. JOHN HOLEVOET, THANKS VERY MUCH.

JOHN HOLEVOET:

THANK YOU.