News

Lack of labor certainty could threaten the stability of the dairy industry

An ag labor specialist says a lack of long-term labor reform could threaten the stability of the dairy industry.

Margaret Jodlowski with Ohio State University says a new H-2A guestworker process could help lower costs for farms in 2026, but the program still has seasonal limitations.

“If they are trying to get workers through the H-2A program, their applications are often turned down,” she says. “Their labor needs are constant. They are left with fewer options than their specialty crop or even their row crop counterparts in terms of finding labor.”

She tells Brownfield producers need legislative certainty.

“Something more broad scale that would grant workers who are currently in the country and who have worked in the agricultural industry for a long time, they need to be granted some kind of status,” she says. “That would protect them from increased immigration enforcement and encourage their continued presence in this sector.”

Jodlowski says the ag industry continues to work on solutions designed to help farmers overcome workforce challenges.

AUDIO: Margaret Jodlowski, Ohio State University