Amidst the snowy Green Mountains of Vermont, dotted with general stores and frozen ponds, a crisis is brewing in the dairy industry. Dairy farming has been a staple of Vermont’s economy for generations, and in recent years, the industry has increasingly relied on the support of migrant workers. As Vermont loses dairy farms each year and immigration policies tighten, the fate of the migrant worker becomes more important—morally and economically—now than ever.
Vermont dairy farms produce 63% of New England’s milk, bringing in a staggering $2.2 billion annually. This makes dairy the largest agricultural industry in the state. These farms have always been smaller, family operations, but they now also rely heavily on immigrant labor. Roughly 1,000 undocumented workers, mostly Mexican, contribute to nearly half of Vermont’s milk production, and farmers say they could not survive without immigrant labor.
This story echoes across the country – Latino workers are filling the labor gap in states like California, Washington, and Florida. According to a 2015 study by Texas A&M University, undocumented workers make up just over half of the American dairy labor force. The study predicts that without them, milk prices would rise by 90 percent, costing the national economy over $32 billion.
Dairy farming is demanding work; cows do not take holidays off. Without legal status, undocumented workers are vulnerable. In such a homogenous, white, rural state, it is easy for migrant workers to stand out from the crowd, and living near a national border means a higher border patrol presence—all of which exacerbates the fear of being caught. This has resulted in an extreme and uniquely uneven power dynamic between workers and their bosses. They face systemic exploitation in the form of low wages, inhumane working conditions, and inadequate housing. A study by Migrant Justice, a local Vermont advocacy group, found that 77 percent of surveyed migrant workers in Vermont have suffered an accident or injury at work, and 87 percent make less than minimum wage. About a third of workers surveyed face exposure to dangerous chemicals at work, while close to half of them said they have been hit or crushed by cows. They work long hours too, sometimes up to 90 hours a week. Migrant workers face intense physical and emotional challenges on Vermont dairy farms, with very little protection.
However, some groups, such as Migrant Justice, are attempting to mitigate these challenges. Migrant Justice has spent the past 15 years fighting for better treatment of undocumented dairy workers, through campaigns such as Milk With Dignity. This campaign by workers and their allies aims to ensure rights for migrant dairy workers by pressuring farmers to adopt the Milk With Dignity Program, which outlines rights and rules that protect workers. Through Migrant Justice’s program, many workers have found improved working and living conditions.
Migrant Justice’s “No Más Polimigra” campaign works to prevent mass deportations in Vermont by limiting police collaboration with immigration agents. It has been critically successful thus far, preventing and delaying many deportations and detentions. Their other priority campaign, “Driving Towards Human Rights,” has successfully helped workers obtain driver’s licenses regardless of their immigration status. It also works to prevent collusion between DMV workers and immigration agents. These campaigns are critical for ensuring that migrant workers are safe and comfortable in their day-to-day lives on the farm and in town. Furthermore, since the threat of deportation is dangerous (as it leaves migrants vulnerable to exploitation), these campaigns are important for maintaining basic human rights on dairy farms.
As for the locals, Vermont has long been a beacon of kindness, where community and compassion are at the heart of many towns. In many cases, communities have quietly welcomed or turned a blind eye to undocumented workers. State politicians agree that these workers are not simply disposable. As Vermont immigration attorney Leslie Holman said, voicing her concern for the state’s economy and for migrant workers, “this is a population [that is not] criminal or something we should be afraid of, but also understanding that this is critical for our economic survival.” However, not everyone is on board. Joshua Bechhoefer, a Vermont GOP committeeman, said, “we want people to get in legally to fill the jobs while not depressing the labor of other concerned citizens in other sectors of the economy.” While this concern is understandable, it is a myth: undocumented farm workers are not taking jobs from American citizens. Recent deportation threats from the Trump administration suggest that more turmoil is on the horizon.
Vermont dairy farmers face another plight: Agricultural consolidation. Agricultural consolidation has further intensified the reliance on low-cost labor, particularly migrant workers, but this has only made migrant working conditions worse. Since 2010, the number of dairy farms in Vermont has declined by 47 percent, driven by price fluctuations and unpredicatable environmental pressures. After working for 30 years to maintain his family’s dairy farm, Robert Bassett sold his cows. Reflecting on the Vermont dairy industry, he told reporters, “There’s no money in it. You’ve got to get big or get out.” He’s right. How could his herd of 100 cows compete with a neighboring farm’s 1,000? Agricultural consolidation has pushed Vermont’s production into a few huge farms. While the state’s agriculture is diverse, just 3 percent of farms account for two thirds of all agricultural sales. This story is not unique to Vermont: agricultural consolidation has preyed on small farms across America. In the United States, just four companies represent 73 percent of all beef processing, 67 percent of all pork processing, 54 percent of all chicken processing, and 45 percent of all retail grocery markets.
In response to rising grocery prices, President Trump claimed, “When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on day one.” He also recently announced that he “will launch the largest deportation program in American history.” The percentage of US crop workers who are undocumented has hovered around 40–50 percent since 2000. Additionally, many factors, such as the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and recent detections of diseases such as the avian flu, have driven grocery prices up. But with half of American agriculture standing on the shoulders of undocumented immigrants, mass deportations hardly seem like the way to drive down production costs. Protecting migrant workers is not only a matter of human rights but also an economic imperative to preserve Vermont’s agricultural economy, for the good of farmers and consumers alike.
Undocumented workers are crucial for Vermont’s dairy industry and agricultural economy, but their exploitation and uncertain legal status threaten the industry’s future. Vermont needs to maintain its status as a sanctuary state, abstain from cooperation with federal immigration authorities, and support pathways to legal status for undocumented workers. Protecting undocumented workers by preventing mass deportations would honor their contributions, preserve the agricultural economy, and create a more sustainable, ethical future for Vermont’s dairy industry.