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Nebraska Cattlemen outgoing president says labor concerns are widespread

The outgoing president of the Nebraska Cattlemen Association says he’s concerned about ongoing labor shortages.

Jerry Kuenning tells Brownfield it’s impacting every sector of U.S. agriculture.

“It’s not just in packing plants, it’s who’s going to milk the cows in the dairy barns, the hog barns, chicken houses, certainly in the feed lots right now, the only place to get a lot of this labor is through immigration,” he says.

But he says there’s uncertainty with how immigration policies could change under President-Elect Donald Trump.

“I hate to think that we deport these good people, these people that have families and have husbands, wives and get up every morning with a smile on their face, a let’s get it done attitude. I hate to just think that deportation is the answer to it. I personally don’t feel feel that it is,” he says.

Kuenning says about 50% of the total labor force in U.S. agriculture are migrant workers.

Brownfield interviewed Kuenning at the Nebraska Cattlemen convention in Kearney, Nebraska.

AUDIO: Jerry Kuenning, Nebraska Cattlemen