“The Economic Impacts of Immigration on the U.S. Dairy Farms,“ a survey conducted by the National Milk Producers Federation, found that U.S. dairy farms rely on immigrant labor and half their foreign-born workforce brings in $11 billion nationwide.

Over 2,000 dairy farms were surveyed in 47 states last fall and found that the loss of immigrant labor would force 2,266 dairy farms to cut 670,000 cows and milk production would decrease by 14.7 billion pounds.

“At a time of rising unemployment across America, our elected officials need to understand that the need for rational immigration reform is all the more imperative,” NMPF President and CEO Jerry Kozak said. “Congress needs to act quickly to pass legislation such as AgJobs bill, recently introduced in both the House and Senate. AgJobs is a step towards comprehensive reform of the nation’s immigration laws, which is clearly needed.”

Immigration reform is a priority for NMPF this year.

According the survey, 138,000 people are employed by dairy farms. 41 percent are immigrants and 98 percent of those are from Mexico.

“Punitive or unworkable labor policies may appear to be intended to help American-born workers, but what this survey found is that without access to immigrant workers, the economics of the entire dairy industry, as well as many rural communities and other industries, are negatively affected.” Mike McCloskey of Fair Oaks Farm said. “You can’t extract immigrant workers out of the equation without creating a negative ripple effect that hurts many other workers as well.”

McCloskey is also a member of the NMPF’s task force. “We need labor policies that will help us maintain our existing workforce, and ensure we have viable ways of obtaining workers in the future,” he added. “A failure by our lawmakers to act cannot be an option, because tens of thousands of workers are depending on us finding a way to address farm labor needs.”

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The Missouri Farm Bureau reported that The Environmental Protection Agency is ready to use the federal Clean Air Act to implement a non-conclusive finding that greenhouse gases endanger the public.

Charles Kruse, MFB president, sent the EPA administrator, Lisa Jackson, a letter asking that the agency allows the public to comment until June 23.

The Clean Air Act’s regulation could affect up to 28,000 Missouri farms and cost farmers and ranchers $522 million annually.

The EPA proposed that the high levels of greenhouse gases are the likely cause of the increased temperatures and climate in Missouri. Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydro fluorocarbons, per fluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride were specifically named in the complaint.

Methane is generally found on animal and rice agricultural sites and nitrous oxide comes from fertilizer applications and animals. These two gases are more potent than carbon dioxide and will effect small and mid sized farms.

If the CAA does not change, operations with 25 dairy cows, 50 head of beef cattle, 200 head of swine, 500 acres of corn, 250 acres of soybeans, 35 acres of rice or 1,000 acres of cotton or wheat would be covered under title V.

The estimated cost of the proposed change means each cow would cost farmers $175 a year, $87.50 per beef animal and $20 per hog. Crops would cost $125 per acre of rice, $17.50 for soybeans, $8.75 for corn and $4.38 for cotton and wheat.

Overall farmers would lose 20 percent of their income annually to cover these taxes.

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Ohio farmer recently met up with Jeff Enger who represents corn growers nationally on a cap and trade committee, and Enger has sincere concerns for farmers looking into the cap and trade industry.

Cap and trade is good in theory. It is a way to cut down and limit carbon emissions from factories, power plants and many other industries. The carbon that is released is to be captured and stored by farmers.

Enger feels the idea to pay farmers to capture the carbon is a good idea for farmers and ranchers who have native ranchland and pastures that are never to be broken up and sold. However, those from the Missouri River east need more flexibility.

Enger uses no-till and works on the farm when it is wet and cool. He is worried that if he signs up for the program in the future he will not be able to plant corn some years.

He thinks that farmers will not be paid enough money from the government to supplement their losses, and he believes that all farming supplies will rise in cost when the program goes into effect.

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